Editor's Foreword

24 The MiliTAry BAlANce 2010
Table 3 Budget Authority for Iraq, Afghanistan, and Other Global War on Terror
Operations FY2001–FY2010 (US$bn)
Operation and Source
of Funding
Fy01
& Fy02
over time so that by 2008 the air force submitted a
request for ‘unfunded requirements’ amounting
to US$20bn. Whilst Gates did not ban this system
outright, he asked for all correspondence to be first
Fy03 Fy04 Fy05 Fy06 Fy07 Fy08 Fy09 Fy10
Pending
request
cumulative Total
Fy01–Fy10
incl. request
Iraq
Dept of Defense 0 50.0 56.4 83.4 98.1 126.8 138.3 90.6 61.9 705.5
Foreign Aid & Diplomatic Operations 0 3.0 19.5 2.0 3.2 3.2 1.9 3.0 2.3 37.9
VA Medical 0 0 0 0.2 0.4 0.9 0.9 1.2 1.2 4.7
Total iraq 0.0 53.0 75.9 85.5 101.7 130.8 141.1 94.8 65.4 748.2
Afghanistan
Dept of Defense 20.0 14.0 12.4 17.2 17.9 37.1 40.6 51.1 68.1 278.3
Foreign Aid & Diplomatic Operations 0.8 0.7 2.2 2.8 1.1 1.9 2.6 3.7 4.0 19.7
VA Medical 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.9 1.6
Total Afghanistan 20.8 14.7 14.5 20.0 19.0 39.1 43.4 55.2 72.9 299.6
Enhanced Security
Dept of Defense 13.0 8.0 3.7 2.1 0.8 0.5 0.1 0.2 0.2 28.7
Total enhanced Security 13.0 8.0 3.7 2.1 0.8 0.5 0.1 0.2 0.2 28.7
DOD Unallocated 0 5.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5.5
Total All Missions 33.8 81.2 94.1 107.6 212.4 170.4 184.4 150.4 138.6 1,082.4
Table 4 DoD’s War-Enacted Budget
Authority FY2008 (US$bn)
regular Titles 2008
Military Operations 19.1
Operations & Maintenance 78.3
Defence Health 2.0
Other Defence Programmes 0.3
Procurement 44.8
R,D,T & E 1.6
Working Capital Funds 1.9
Military Construction 2.7
Subtotal: regular Titles 150.4
Special Funds
Iraqi Freedom Fund 3.8
Afghan Sy Forces Training Fund 2.8
Iraq Sy Forces Training Fund 3.0
Joint IED Defeat Fund 4.3
Strategic Reserve Readiness Fund 0
MRAP Account 16.8
Subtotal: Special Funds 30.6
DoD Total 181.1
reviewed by him, and revealingly in 2009 the air-force
request dropped to less than US$2bn.
Despite these cost-saving initiatives, however, a
deep imbalance remains in medium-term defence
funding. In August 2009, the DoD confirmed Gates’s
suggestion that future budget growth would be
limited when it instructed military planners to
prepare for zero budget growth between FY2011
and FY2015. David Ochmanek, deputy assistant
secretary for defense for force transformation and
resources, went further when he revealed that work
on the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review had uncovered
a deficit of US$60bn between the likely level
of funding over the next four years and current
spending commitments, even before the massive
cost of withdrawing troops from Iraq and possibly
Afghanistan was factored into the equation. The
non-partisan Congressional Budget Office calculated
that to balance its books the Pentagon would need
its non-war-related spending over the next 18 years
to average 6% more than the amount sought in the
FY2010 budget request. Consequently, service chiefs
were told to make further cuts over and above the 50
major programme adjustments announced by Gates
in April. Given that there appears to be little ‘lowhanging
fruit’ left, though, their room for manoeuvre
is limited.