Included in President Donald Trump’s request for an immediate $30 billion increase in defense spending is a call for $8.3 billion for the Army, which plans to significantly boost its current-year purchases of aircraft and missiles.
The request, released on March 16, would be for funding on top of the fiscal year 2017 defense appropriations bill currently before Congress. The Defense Department is operating under a continuing resolution that expires in April.
The Army request includes $8.3 billion in combined increases to base and overseas contingency operations funding. Broken down, the Army plans to spend $871 million on personnel readiness, which would increase its end strength to more than one million soldiers in all three components by the end of the fiscal year.
“This request provides the much-needed resources to support the Combatant Commanders (COCOMs) in the fight, addresses current year readiness shortfall, and is a critical first step to rebuilding America’s Army,” the request document says. “This request sets the conditions for increased future readiness, but stable budgets and additional resources are essential in the coming years.”
Modernization of aviation, armor, unmanned aerial systems and air-and-missile defense systems will get a $2.8 billion boost under the supplemental request. A total $4.6 billion will go to procurement, including research, development, technology and engineering funds.
With that the Army plans to buy 13 more General Atomics MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial systems (UAS), 20 more Boeing [BA] Ah-64 Apache attack helicopters, 17 Sikorsky [LMT] UH-60 Black Hawk utility helicopters. Sikorsky is a unit of Lockheed Martin [LMT].
Photo: U.S. Army
The Army plans to buy 60 more Patriot PAC-3 missile segment enhancement (MSE), 591 Raytheon [RTN] Javelin missiles and 1,188 rounds for the Lockheed Martin-built guided multiple-launch rocket system. Another $228 million will go toward Patriot missile system modifications. The request also calls for 12 more Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) systems under boosts to defense-wide funding.
It will spend $248 million on modifications to the AAI RQ-7 Shadow UAS, $304 million on ammunition, $182 million on ammo manufacturing facilities and $195 on the installation information management modification program. AAI is part of Textron [TXT].
The service also plans to upgrade 27 more M1 Abrams tanks to the most modern configuration in the current fiscal year and spend $214 million on modifications to the Bradley Fighting Vehicle.
Even all that will achieve the lethality or grow the force to the size the Army deems necessary for future fights, the request says.
“This amendment request does not grow the force appreciably nor does it increase the lethality of the Army to the levels required. Remaining requirements not represented in this request would partially mitigate this, further improving warfighter readiness and lethality,” the document says. “These requirements will need to be addressed in future budgets and include upgrading vehicles in Armor and Stryker formations, increasing aviation and UAS platforms, and installation and infrastructure requirements.”
A total of $1.3 billion will go toward training and readiness for operational and generating forces, according to the Army’s request. Funding will go toward upgrading opposing force training equipment at the National Training Center. The boost will also fund increase flying hours and the pace at which units train at the NTC.
The Army’s budget for the war against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria would receive $1.2 in additional funding for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance specifically.
Another $646 million will cover current-year shortfalls and “emerging requirements” that have popped up since the initial fiscal 2017 budget submission was made by the previous administration. These include rotational forces and the establishment of a theater missile defense site in Korea; defensive cyber and network security efforts; converting units and repairing equipment to support wartime contingencies and major combat operations, according to the request.
“This funding is critical to relieve stress on Army formations allowing them to focus on decisive action proficiency, it says. “Without this funding, the Army’s readiness would further decline with a corresponding impact on support to ongoing operations.”
At least $1 billion is requested for ammunition to replace ordnance expended during the current fights in Afghanistan and against ISIS. It also would pay to improve the Army’s ammo production capabilities through infrastructure and production-line upgrades at its ammo plants.
Infrastructure readiness also would receive $366 million to fund improvements to training ranges, unit training facilities, maintenance shops and airfields, the request says.
“The Army will realize some readiness improvements in FY 2017 and lay the groundwork for improved readiness in following years,” the Army’s request says. “Increases in equipment and ammunition will start in earnest this year with the full benefit coming over the next several years as munitions and equipment are delivered to the field. Without this funding, the Army’s readiness would further decline and current training and operations would suffer.”