By Kingston Reif On May 9 the House Armed Services Committee approved the FY 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 4310) by a vote of 56-5. The bill provides $554 billion for national defense (function 050). This is an increase of approximately $4 billion above the President’s request and $8 billion above the Budget Control […]
BRAC: The Next Steps for the Administration and Congress
By Phil Coyle Defense Secretary Leon Panetta surprised many Pentagon observers when he announced on January 26, 2012, that he would pursue possibly two base realignment and closure rounds, one in 2013 and another in 2015, as part of his long-range strategy to further bring down DoD costs. Familiarly known as BRAC, the Pentagon last […]
Pentagon Budget: Forced To Diet On Only $614 Billion
By Laicie Heeley Those seeking further details on changes in the Pentagon budget received some satisfaction today in a briefing delivered by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey. Secretary Panetta revealed that the budget, expected to be released in full detail on February 13, will contain […]
Fact Sheet: Budget Cuts Hurt Nuclear Security Efforts
The Threat According to the International Panel on Fissile Materials, the global stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU) in 2010 was roughly 1,475 tons, or enough to make more than 60,000 nuclear weapons. Likewise, the panel estimates the global stockpile of separated plutonium to be about 485 tons. The quality of security over these materials […]
Estimated Iraq and Afghanistan War Funding FY2001-FY2012
By the end of Fiscal Year (FY) 2012, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) estimates that total US spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will surpass $1.4 trillion. This total includes approximately $823 billion for operations in Iraq and $557 billion for operations in Afghanistan. Funding for the war in Iraq has decreased significantly […]
