Last week, the president unveiled the largest defense base budget request in the history of the Pentagon, blowing right past the sequestration caps. This can only mean one thing: tough choices lie ahead for Congress.
Some Highlights and Lowlights of Ashton Carter’s Easy Confirmation Hearing
Last Wednesday the Senate Armed Services Committee, led by chairman John McCain, held a confirmation hearing for President Obama’s nominee for Defense Secretary, Ashton Carter.
President’s Defense Budget Grows—But Something’s Gotta Give
On February 2nd, President Obama released his Fiscal Year 2016 (FY16) Defense budget request to the tune of a $534.3 billion base Pentagon budget plus an additional $50.9 billion for the Overseas Contingency Operations account (OCO).
Ash Carter to Defend President’s Budget Cap Busting FY16 Request
Defense Secretary nominee Ashton Carter’s confirmation hearing is set for the first week of February. Coinciding with Carter’s confirmation, on February 2, the president will send Congress his fiscal year 2016 budget request. One of Mr. Carter’s first tasks as Chuck Hagel’s replacement will be to defend the President’s FY 2016 budget request – a document on which Mr. Carter has presumably had little influence.
News Flash: Nuclear Weapons Still Expensive
The Congressional Budget Office’s Report on the Projected Costs of U.S. Nuclear Forces has again undercut the tired myth that our current nuclear weapon plans are inexpensive. According to the report, the administration’s plan for modernizing the nuclear triad is expected to cost $348 billion over the next decade, an average of about $35 billion a year. But these costs reflect only the tip of the budgetary iceberg. Reports such as the National Defense Panel Review of the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review and the Trillion Dollar Triad estimate the entire modernization plan will likely cost $1 trillion over the next 30 years.
