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WASHINGTON, June 25, 2001 – DoD officials announced that the fiscal 2002 budget would raise defense spending to $329 billion.
This is an increase of $33 billion over the 2001-enacted level and $18 billion more than the president's budget blueprint submitted in February. "The administration has inherited severe shortfalls in readiness, in health care, in operations, maintenance and infrastructure, far worse than was originally understood," said a senior defense official. "This amendment takes steps to begin to deal with these funding deficiencies and to establish fiscal certainty and discipline." The budget amendment adds $4.1 billion for quality of life issues such as pay and housing. The Defense Health Program will receive $2 billion; operations and maintenance funding will receive an extra $1.6 billion for base operation support, $1.3 billion for flying hours, depot maintenance, spares, range and training center modernization; and force protection will receive $2.6 billion. Other infrastructure issues will receive $2.6 billion. Missile defense programs will receive an extra $600 million, raising fiscal 2002 to $7.5 billion. The amendment also proposed $3.6 billion for modernization. The money will help fund command and control systems, information operations equipment and research, additional airlift, and spare parts for aircraft and ships. Also rolled in are joint experimentation projects aimed at helping the force transform, the official said. The $3.6 billion request would put modernization totals up to around $62 billion in fiscal 2002. DoD officials said the proposed increase does not fund new weapon platforms. It does provide additional money to promising technologies and capabilities the military will need to transform itself into a relevant 21st century force. More specific funding numbers will be available later in the summer, officials said. The 2002 budget amendment is in addition to the $5.6 billion supplemental for the fiscal 2001 budget year. Congress is now looking at the 2001 request. The budget amendment has not formally been presented to Congress. Officials expect the amendment to go to Congress before its July 4th holiday recess.
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