Inside Defense
Feb. 1, 2010 -- The Army today proposed a $143.4 billion base budget for fiscal year 2011, along with $102.2 billion in FY-11 supplemental funding.
The total FY-11 request reflects what Lt. Gen. Edgar Stanton, the military deputy for budget, called a "modest increase" over last year's enacted base budget of $140.9 billion.
Additionally, the service is requesting $20 billion in FY-10 supplemental funding, "required to support the President's decision to increase U.S. military presence in Afghanistan," according to Army briefing materials.
The FY-11 base budget includes $21.3 million in procurement spending, up from $19.3 billion last year, the documents show. Additionally, it requests $10.3 billion in research, development, test and evaluation dollars, a decrease from last year's $11.4 billion budget.
The budget request allocates $3.1 billion for brigade combat team modernization, the new effort launched following last year's termination of the Future Combat Systems program. The figure includes $2.5 billion for RDT&E, of which $934 million will go toward the ground combat vehicle, Army budget officials said today.
According to materials provided by the service, the money will fund "the initial development effort" for GCV. As Inside the Army has reported, the materiel development decision on GCV is slated for Feb. 11.
Additionally, within BCT-Mod spending, the budget designates $682.7 million in procurement dollars to "buy capability packages to enhance two [infantry brigade combat teams] to be fielded in FY-12." The remaining $1.6 million in RDT&E funding is intended to continue "support and testing for the Increment 1 and development of Increment 2.
"These increments will provide additional capabilities and advances in networking and battle command to the remaining IBCTs," the Army document says.
Within its procurement account, the Army is designating nearly $6 billion for aircraft and about $5.5 billion for tactical and support vehicles and other support equipment.
The $1.7 billion procurement request for weapons and tracked combat vehicles includes $300 million for 83 Stryker vehicles. The funding will enable the conversion of one heavy brigade combat team to a Stryker brigade combat team by the fourth quarter of FY-11, Kathleen Miller, acting Army budget director, said today.
Budget officials said the 83 Stryker vehicles represent just one increment of the new Stryker vehicles needed for the SBCT; additional buys will be made in future budgets. The base budget also includes $147 million for Stryker survivability enhancements.
The base budget request also calls for significant funding for trucks -- $918 million for 22,959 Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles as well as trailers and $549 million for 9,538 Family of Heavy Tactical Vehicles and trailers.
"The request funds procurement of a significant number of medium and heavy tactical trucks and trailers -- the vehicles that move, supply, and support our combat formations -- and will continue our FHTV/FMTV modernization efforts," budget documents add.
In the FY-11 supplemental budget, the Army is seeking $3 billion for communications and electronics procurement and $2.8 billion for tactical and support vehicles and other support equipment procurement.
The funds provide $516 million for FMTV, $445 million for Stryker force protection add-ons and $989 million for humvee recapitalization (see related story). -- Marjorie Censer
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