Summary of the US Department of Defence Fiscal Year 2011 Budget Proposal

08:19 GMT, February 3, 2010 defpro.com | On Monday, US President Barack Obama sent to the Congress a proposed defence budget of $708 billion for fiscal 2011. As the US Department of Defence (DoD) states, its budget request includes $549 billion in discretionary budget authority to fund base defence programmes and $159 billion to support overseas contingency operations (OCO), primarily in Afghanistan and Iraq. According to the DoD, this proposal continues the reform agenda established in last year's budget request and builds on the initiatives identified by the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) and 2010 Ballistic Missile Defense Review (BMDR).

The following is an excerpt of key highlights, with a focus on defence programmes and operations, of the proposed DoD budget (Structure and headlines may have been changed by defpro.com. For the original report please use the following link). The full report, including charts, can be viewed here: http://tinyurl.com/yhvea44.For more information and to view the entire Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposal, please go to http://www.budget.mil and download the "FY 2011 Budget Request Overview Book."


Principal Objectives

The fiscal 2011 budget proposal supports the Department’s security strategy and begins implementing the recommendations of the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) that is being submitted along with this budget request. The FY 2011 request also builds on the strategic changes introduced by the FY 2010 Defense budget. As in FY 2010, the Department of Defense FY 2011 budget request is organized around four major themes:

1. The budget reaffirms and strengthens the nation’s commitment to care for the all-volunteer force, our greatest strategic asset.
2. It rebalances America’s defense posture, emphasizing capabilities needed to prevail in current conflicts, while enhancing the capabilities that may be needed in the future.
3. It continues the Department’s commitment to reform how DoD does business, especially in the area of acquisitions.
4. It ensures that America’s troops in the field have the resources to execute their missions successfully.


Rebalancing the Force

Guided by the 2010 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), the FY 2011 budget continues the effort to seek a better balance in America’s defense posture -- between the risks we face and limited resources, and between capabilities needed for current conflicts and those needed for future wars. To that end, the President’s request includes $112.9 billion for Procurement and $76.1 billion for Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E). A substantial portion of the requested funding focuses on improving the capability to fight today’s wars. Among the highlights:

• Rotary-Wing Aircraft
The FY 2010 enacted budget included additional funds to boost Army helicopter pilot training capacity and improve survivability. The FY 2011 request sustains
the FY 2010 increase and seeks an additional $65 million to train 1,500 new pilots per year by FY 2012.

The FY 2011 request also sustains new acquisition and modernization of helicopters – such as the CH-47, UH-60, LUH, H-1, and V-22 aircraft – with more than $9.6 billion. The FY 2011 investment request is more than $500 million, or about 6 percent, above the level provided for in the FY 2010 enacted budget.

• UAV Combat Air Patrols (CAPs)
FY 2011 investment spending will continue the expanded use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in war zones. The request of $2.2 billion supports the plan to increase Predator-Class CAPs from the current 37 to 65 by FY 2013.

• Electronic Warfare
The FY 2011 budget request supports procurement of 12 EA-18G aircraft to recapitalize four expeditionary electronic attack squadrons.

• Special Operations
The FY 2011 budget request of $6.3 billion is an increase of 5.7 percent over FY 2010, reflecting the priority to focus on irregular warfare and to strengthen core special operations capabilities. Funds will add about 2,800 SOCOM personnel in FY 2011.

• Cyber Command
The FY 2011 budget request supports the establishment of the U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) – a new command to organize and standardize DoD cyber practices and operations in defense of the Global Information Grid (GIG). USCYBERCOM will be a sub-unified command under the U.S. Strategic Command. It will lead, integrate, and better coordinate the protection and operation of DoD networks.

• Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction
The FY 2011 budget continues to support counter-WMD efforts, in particular $74.5 million for a new Global Nuclear Lockdown initiative that supports the President’s goal to secure all vulnerable weapons-usable nuclear material within four years.

The Administration’s defense budget also requests substantial funding designed to improve capabilities to fight today’s wars or future conflicts. Among the highlights:

• KC-X Tanker
The FY 2011 budget includes $864 million in RDT&E for developing a new generation tanker, which remains a very high priority. Initial plans call for procuring 179 commercial-derivative tanker aircraft to replace roughly a third of the current aerial refueling tanker fleet at a projected cost of $35 billion. A draft Request for Proposals was announced in September 2009, with contract award planned for summer, 2010.

• Restructure JSF
The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) is a critical tactical air program to ensure continued air dominance over current and future battlefields. The FY 2011 budget request continues implementation of the long-term tactical aircraft acquisition plan and supports continued development and production of three variants of the F-35. Recognizing the need to complete all necessary testing while limiting concurrency, the JSF program has been restructured to add an additional year for development. The base budget requests funding for procurement of 42 aircraft in FY 2011.

• Robust Shipbuilding Plan
The FY 2011 budget request includes $25.1 billion to fund procurement and RDT&E costs (including $15.7 billion for Navy shipbuilding and conversion). Funds requested for FY 2011 will pay all or partial costs for 10 new ships, nine for the Navy – two Virginia class submarines, two DDG-51 destroyers, two Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), one Landing Helicopter Assault Replacement (LHA-R), one Mobile Landing Platform (MLP), and one Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) – and a JHSV for the Army.

• Rapid Ground Forces Modernization
The FY 2011 budget advances Secretary Gates’ restructuring of the modernization of Army ground forces. To improve current forces more quickly, the FY 2011 budget request includes $3.2 billion for procurement and research and development in support of Brigade Combat Team (BCT) modernization. It will provide increased intelligence, improved air and ground robotic capability, more responsive precision fires, and better situational awareness. The program will also seek to rapidly field a replacement for the Bradley fighting vehicle. As part of its overall modernization plan, the Army has terminated further Army-only buys of the High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs) because Army needs for this vehicle have been met.

• Next Generation Bomber
The FY 2011 request includes funding ($0.2 billion in FY 2011 and $1.7 billion in FY 2011-2015) for the next generation bomber. Near-term efforts include needed studies concerning the design of a future bomber as well as upgrades to existing bombers. To support future decisions, the bomber industrial base will be sustained.

• Missile Defense
The FY 2011 budget includes $9.9 billion to support missile defenses. The Ballistic Missile Defense Review concluded that U.S. missile defenses must be adaptive and responsive to advances in technology, and that they must be proven and cost-effective and must meet the real threat to the U.S. and its allies. The Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) fulfills these requirements with a flexible, scalable response to BMD threats. The recent shift from ground-based interceptors in Europe to a land-based and sea-based Standard Missile-3 system is an example of the new PAA.


Reforming How DoD Does Business

To make the most of the nation’s resources entrusted to the Department of Defense and to carry out its mission more effectively, the Department continues striving to improve the way it does business.

• Changing How We Operate
A critical effort involves reforming the processes by which we buy weapons and other important systems through implementation of the Weapons System Acquisition Reform Act. To maintain America’s technological and conventional edge, we are working to achieve predictable cost, schedule, and performance outcomes, based on mature, demonstrated technologies and realistic cost/schedule estimates. To help achieve this goal, the Department is increasing the number of acquisition personnel by 20,000 – from approximately 127,000 in FY 2010 to about 147,000 by FY 2015. The FY 2011 budget request continues support for this transition and includes funds for training and retention programs that will bolster the capability and size of the acquisition workforce. Acquisition reform will provide America’s warfighters with world class capability, while assuring good stewardship of taxpayer dollars.

The FY 2011 budget also includes $261 million to manage the conversion out of the National Security Personnel System by January 1, 2012, as required by the FY 2010 National Defense Authorization Act.
The budget request supports efforts to improve financial information and attain audit readiness. Under a new approach to this long-standing issue, the Department will focus its efforts on improving those types of information (particularly budgetary information) that are most used to manage defense activities.

• Ending unneeded or poorly performing programs
The FY 2010 enacted budget ended a number of major programs that were no longer needed or that were troubled by cost or execution problems. The FY 2011 budget request continues this reform agenda, saving taxpayers nearly $3.1 billion:

• C-17 Program Ended
The FY 2011 budget funds shutdown of the production line for C-17 transports. With 223 of these excellent planes already in its inventory, the U.S. has more than enough to meet current and future needs.

• JSF Alternate Engine Ended
After extensive consideration, DoD has decided not to expend scarce resources to develop or deploy an alternate engine for the Joint Strike Fighter. Logistics, cost and management concerns support this decision.

• Additional Programs Ended
Other programs will be ended or terminated due to a lack of need or poor performance. Cancellations include the Navy’s CG(X) next generation cruiser; EP(X) Navy Intelligence Aircraft; Third Generation Infrared Surveillance (3GIRS); the Net Enabled Command Capability (NECC); and DIMHRS, the Defense Integrated Military Human Resources System which is still not operational after 10 years of development and an investment of $500 million. DIMHRS is being replaced by individual Service variants that will support standard integrated military personnel and payroll services.


Supporting the Troops in the Field

In addition to the Department’s base budget, the fiscal 2011 request includes $159 billion to support troops engaged in overseas contingency operations (OCO) in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is not a supplemental request. It is intended to fund all currently known requirements for military operations in Afghanistan and Iraq for the entire fiscal year.

Included in the FY 2011 OCO request are:

• $89.4 billion for operating costs, linked to the operating tempo of frontline combat and support forces in theater. This includes $0.7 billion for additional family support initiatives in addition to those in the base budget.

• $21.3 billion for reconstituting equipment -- repairing and replacing equipment lost and damaged as a result of ongoing operations -- including $2.8 billion to reset equipment redeploying from Iraq and returning to inventory.

• $2.4 billion to ensure greater ISR support for U.S. warfighters, including funds for five Enhanced Medium Altitude Reconnaissance Surveillance System aircraft and efforts to address vulnerabilities of unencrypted airborne data links.

• $13.6 billion to train and equip Afghanistan and Iraq Security Forces -- $11.6 billion for the training and equipping of Afghan security forces and $2 billion for the training and equipping of Iraqi security forces.

• $1.2 billion of military construction to expand the logistical backbone and operational foundation in Afghanistan. This will enable counterinsurgency forces to fight more effectively by increasing operational capability, providing troop housing, replacing expeditionary facilities at the end of their lifecycle, consolidating functions and facilities, and supporting Special Operations forces operating in Afghanistan.

In addition, the Administration is submitting a FY 2010 supplemental appropriation request of $33 billion to cover the FY 2010 defense costs for the additional 30,000 troops that will be deployed to Afghanistan in support of the President’s new strategy for the region.


Continuing the Reform Agenda

The President’s Department of Defense fiscal 2011 budget request continues the reform agenda begun in the FY 2010 budget, which Secretary Gates has termed, “the nation’s first truly 21st century defense budget.” The new proposed budget continues the focus on improving capabilities to fight today’s wars, taking advantage of the many lessons learned in Afghanistan and Iraq. It also changes how the Department operates. The budget request invests in capability to counter the full range of potential threats the U.S. is facing today or may face in the future. Finally, this budget takes care of our people – our highest priority.

These issues have been analyzed by the Quadrennial Defense Review, the Nuclear Posture Review, and other studies. The President’s Department of Defense budget request for fiscal 2011 reflects all the available conclusions from these analyses.


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Overview on news coverage for US FY2011 defence budget proposal at defpro.com:
http://www.defpro.com/news/details/12935