Analysis of the Fiscal Year 2012 Pentagon Spending Request

Feb. 15, 2011

BACKGROUND

On Feb. 14, 2011 the Obama Administration released its proposed fiscal year 2012 budget for the federal government. As part of this budget, the Administration is seeking $553 billion in funding for the Department of Defense, not including funding for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan or the nuclear weapons related activities of the Department of Energy.

The Administration’s budget request is complicated by the fact that Congress has failed to enact any of the fiscal year 2011 appropriations, leaving the government to run on the basis of a Continuing Resolution that funds the government at FY2010 levels through at least March 4, 2011. This makes it difficult to compare spending in the FY2012 request to previous funding levels. In acknowledging this situation, the Defense Department included in its budget overview the following comment:

The Department does not know what its FY2011 appropriations ultimately will be, and so some of the tables show the annualized CR level and the President’s Budget (PB) request, rather than an enacted level.

Therefore any figures cited as FY2011 funding amounts should be considered estimates that are subject to change.

REQUEST HIGHLIGHTS

“Top Line” Funding – The Obama Administration is requesting $553 billion for the Department of Defense in fiscal year 2012, which begins on Oct. 1, 2011. This is roughly $13 billion less than the Pentagon projected for FY2012 in last year's five-year budget plan. It is about 3 percent real growth over the funding the department would receive in FY2011 under the current continuing resolution (which expires on March 4, 2012). Over the next five years the proposed budget plan will reduce real growth in the Pentagon's top line in FY2013 and in FY2014, and then provide zero real growth in FY2015 and FY2016. According to Secretary Gates, “zero real growth means we get inflation,” that is, nominal Pentagon spending will increase to keep pace with the rate of inflation.

This figure does not include funding for the nuclear weapons activities of the Department of Energy, which is considered part of total Defense Department spending. Nor does this figure include the costs of ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Funding for Overseas Contingency Operations – Today’s budget release also includes a funding request of $117.8 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. This is considerably lower than the $159.4 billion requested for FY2011 and the $160.8 billion allocated in FY2010. According to the Congressional Research Service the FY2012 Pentagon request is the lowest level of war funding since FY2006. The request provides roughly $107 billion for Afghanistan (including $12.8 billion to train and equip Afghan Security Forces) and $11 billion for Iraq.

Missile Defense – The Administration is requesting $10.7 billion for missile defense in FY2012, up roughly $450 million from the current $10.2 billion. This total does not include $995.2 million for the SBIRS-High satellite.

Shipbuilding – The request includes $14.9 billion for the Navy’s “Shipbuilding and Conversion” account, and $24.6 billion total for shipbuilding. The budget request funds procurement of 11 ships in FY2012 and 56 ships over the FY2012 – FY2016 period. The Army will purchase one Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) in FY2012 – the last of five Army JHSVs.

Aircraft – The request includes no funding for additional C-17 aircraft, the F-22 fighter or the alternative engine program for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. The request includes almost $2 billion for 28 of the Navy’s F/A-18E/F “Super Hornet,” $3.0 billion for procurement of 36 V-22 “Osprey” tilt-rotor aircraft, and $9.7 billion for 32 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. It also includes $877 million for the Air Force’s KC-X new aerial re-fueling tanker program.

Military Personnel – The request includes an increase in base pay of 1.6 percent.

Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) – The Administration is requesting $508 million for the CTR (also known as “Nunn-Lugar”) program, $84 million above the current level. The CTR program assists Russia and the former Soviet republics safeguard weapons of mass destruction and related technologies.

Department of Energy Activities – The request includes $7.63 billion for the nuclear weapons activities of the Department of Energy (a $620.9 million increase), and $2.549 billion for DoE’s nuclear nonproliferation work (a $412 million increase). It also includes $5.407 billion for Defense Environmental Cleanup, $235 million below current levels. [SOURCE: The Department of Energy’s fiscal year 2012 request]

FUNDING PROVISIONS

FY2012 FUNDING BY FUNCTION

$142.8 billion -- Military Personnel (up $7.6 billion, 5.6 percent)
$204.4 billion -- Operations & Maintenance (up $19.9 billion, 10.8 percent)
$113.0 billion – Procurement (up $8.2 billion, 7.8 percent)
$75.3 billion -- RDT&E (down $5.1 billion, 6.3 percent)
$16.9 billion -- Military Construction (down $2.8 billion, 17.6 percent)
$1.8 billion -- Family Housing (down $0.6 billion, 26.1 percent)
$2.4 billion -- Revolving & Management Funds (down $0.4 billion, 12.9 percent)
$553.1 billion -- TOTAL (051) (up $27.0 billion, 5.1 percent NOMINAL)

FY2012 FUNDING BY SERVICE

$144.9 billion – Army (up $8.1 billion, 5.9 percent)
$161.4 billion – Navy/Marine Corps (up $5.8 billion, 3.7 percent)
$150.0 billion -- Air Force (up $6.8 billion, 4.7 percent)
$94.9 billion -- Defense Wide (up $6.3 billion, 7.0 percent)
$553.1 billion -- TOTAL (051) (up $27.0 billion, 5.1 percent NOMINAL)

FY2012 FUNDING REQUEST FOR BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE

Ballistic Missile Defense

$10,219.9 million -- FY’11 Total
$10,671.6 million -- FY’12 Request

Ballistic Missile Defense -- Selected Functions

Ground-Based Midcourse Defense

$1,346.2 million -- FY’11 Total
$1,161.0 million -- FY’12 Request

AEGIS BMD

$1,561.4 million -- FY’11 Total
$1,525.7 million -- FY’12 Request

THAAD

$1,295.4 million -- FY’11 Total
$1,174.7 million -- FY’12 Request

MEADS/Patriot CAP

$467.1 million -- FY’11 Total
$406.6 million -- FY’12 Request

Patriot/PAC-3

$498.7 million -- FY’11 Total
$713.2 million -- FY’12 Request

PAC-3/MSE

$62.5 million -- FY’11 Total
$163.9 million -- FY’12 Request

Other

Space Based Infra-Red System-High (SBIRS-High)

$1,525.5 million -- FY’11 Total
$995.2 million -- FY’12 Request

GRAND TOTAL Ballistic Missile Defense

$11,745.4 million -- FY’11 Total
$11,666.8 million -- FY’12 Request

FUNDING FOR SELECTED WEAPONS SYSTEMS

NOTE: Amounts reflect weapons funding included in both the base budget request and the FY2012 Overseas Contingencies Operations funding request.

"Per Unit Costs" and "Total Program Costs" are based on DoD's Selected Acquisition Report, Nov. 15, 2010. “Per Unit Costs” are derived by dividing total program costs by the number of systems purchased, and include both procurement and research & development funding.

AIRCRAFT

F/A-18E/F Fighter

$2,661.9 million requested for 28 aircraft
$93.4 million -- per unit cost
$48,091.4 million -- total program cost

F-22 Fighter

$1,063.6 requested
$354.9 million -- per unit cost
$66,714.1 million -- total program cost

F-35 Fighter (JSF)

$9,732.8 million requested for 32 aircraft (13 Navy and 19 Air Force)
$133.6 million -- per unit cost
$328,252.9 million -- total program cost

E/A-18G Jamming Aircraft

$1,124.6 million requested for 12 aircraft
$101.3 million -- per unit cost
$11,550.1 million -- total program cost

C-17 Transport Aircraft

$538.7 million requested
$311.6 million -- per unit cost
$69,497.0 million -- total program cost

C-27J Joint Cargo Aircraft

$598.8 million requested for 9 aircraft for the Air Force
$52.9 million -- per unit cost
$2,010.5 million -- total program cost

C-130J Cargo Aircraft

$1,257.7 million requested for 12 aircraft (1 Navy and 11 Air Force)
$90.3 million -- per unit cost
$15,178.1 million -- total program cost

KC-X Next Generation Airborne Tanker

$877.1 million requested

V-22 Osprey Aircraft

$2,971.4 million requested for 36 aircraft (30 Navy and 6 Air Force)
$115.5 million -- per unit cost
$52,899.0 million -- total program cost

UH-60M "Blackhawk" Helicopter

$1,618.9million requested for 75 aircraft
$19.2 million -- per unit cost
$23,681.7 million -- total program cost

MH-60R "Seahawk" Helicopter

$1,028.3 million requested for 24 aircraft
$47.5 million -- per unit cost
$14.241.0 million -- total program cost

MH-60S "Knighthawk" Helicopter

$513.5 million requested for 18 aircraft
$29.0 million -- per unit cost
$7,975.7 million -- total program cost

UH-72A "Lakota" Light Utility Helicopter

$250.4 million requested for 39 aircraft
$47.8 million -- per unit cost
$12,139.4 million -- total program cost

SHIPBUILDING

Aircraft Carrier CVN-78 Class

$ 554.8 million requested for procurement
$13,515.2 million -- per unit cost
$40,545.5 million -- total program cost

DDG-51 “Arleigh Burke” Class Destroyer

$2,081.4 million for one vessel
$1,012.2 million -- per unit cost
$62,756.3 million -- total program cost

DDG-1000 “Zumwalt” Class Destroyer [DD(x)]

$453.7 million for procurement
$6,590.5 million -- per unit cost
$19,771.4 million -- total program cost

Littoral Combat Ship (LCS)

$2,168.5 million requested for four vessels
$1,866.3 million-- per unit cost
$3,732.5 million -- total program cost
NOTE: "Total Program Cost" for LCS reflects only the cost of Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation (RDT&E).

SSN-774 "Virginia" Attack Submarine

$4,954.9 million requested for two vessels
$3,106.9 million -- per unit cost
$93,207.3 million -- total program cost

LPD-17 Landing Ship

$1,848.3 million requested for one vessel
$1,696.3 million -- per unit cost
$18,659.2 million -- total program cost

LHA-6 Amphibious Assault Ship

$2,018.7 million requested
$3,413.4 million -- per unit cost
$6,826.8 million -- total program cost
NOTE: "Total Program Cost" for LHA-6 reflects only the cost of Research, Development, Testing and Evaluation (RDT&E).

MISSILES/ORDENANCE

Trident II D-5 Missile

$1,398.0 million requested for 24 missiles
$70.5 million -- per unit cost
$39,546.0 million -- total program cost

Tactical Tomahawk Cruise Missile

$312.1 million requested for 196 missiles
$1.45 -- per unit cost
$6,885.4 million -- total program cost

Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM)

$110.7 million requested for 4,588 units
$0.026 million -- per unit cost
$5,752.4 million -- total program cost

Joint Stand-off Weapon (JSOW)

$145.4 million requested for 266 units
$0.49 million -- per unit cost
$5,076.7 million -- total program cost

Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM)

$242.0 million requested for 142 units
$1.54 million -- per unit cost
$7,711.3 million -- total program cost

Small Diameter Bomb

$200.3 million requested for 100 units
$N/A -- per unit cost
$5,076.7 million -- total program cost

LAND SYSTEMS

Stryker Armored Vehicle

$834.0 million requested for 100 vehicles
$3.8 million -- per unit cost
$15,196.0 million -- total program cost

Joint Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP)

No procurement funding requested
$1.59 million -- per unit cost
$36,291.6 million -- total program cost

Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV)

$448.0 million requested for 2,422 vehicles
$0.25 million -- per unit cost
$20,626.6 million -- total program cost

Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle [EFV]

No procurement funding requested
$26.2 million -- per unit cost
$15,553.0 million -- total program cost
NOTE: Secretary Gates announced plans to terminate the EFV program January 6, 2011.

UNMANNED SYSTEMS

Global Hawk UAV

$1,635.4 million requested for 3 aircraft for the Air Force
$178.0 million -- per unit cost
$13,708.3 million -- total program cost

Reaper UAV

$1,216.1 million requested for 48 aircraft
$30.3 million -- per unit cost
$11,834.8 million -- total program cost

Source: DoD’s FY2012 Budget Request Summary Justification “Major Weapons Systems,” February 2011.

GLOSSARY

Military Budget – Military spending contained in the Pentagon budget, intelligence budget, Department of Energy military programs, and a few smaller programs
Budget Authority (BA) – Total amount that Congress makes available to an agency through authorizations and appropriations in a Fiscal Year
Outlays – Amount an agency actually spends, money that has been approved in current or prior fiscal years
DoD – Department of Defense
DoE – Department of Energy
Fiscal Year (FY) -- from October 1 through September 30