Pentagon to Ask for War Supplemental

The New York Times reported November 4 that Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen expects the Defense Department to request emergency funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The request should happen in the next few months.

The Times says, "The nation's top military officer said Wednesday that he expected the Pentagon to ask Congress in the next few months for emergency financing to support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, even though President Obama has pledged to end the Bush administration practice of paying for the conflicts with so-called supplemental funds that are outside the normal Defense Department budget. The financing would be on top of the $130 billion that Congress authorized for the wars just last month."

Estimates for the request ran in the $40 to $50 billion range, with the Times citing a standard measurement of $1 billion for every 1,000 deployed troops.

The Times continues: "Defense officials said the final request would depend on the number of additional troops Mr. Obama decided to send to Afghanistan. Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top NATO commander in Afghanistan, has asked for 40,000 more troops on top of the 68,000 American troops already there. The request is likely to ignite objections from Democrats on Capitol Hill who are increasingly alarmed about the eight-year-old war in Afghanistan, and it could become a vehicle for a battle between Mr. Obama and his liberal Democratic base."

Politics will play an important role, especially when the attacks start about how the money for war supplementals could be used for domestic programs like healthcare reform and job creation.

The Times says, "The White House had little comment on Admiral Mullen's remarks. 'The president's budget provides a full-year funding for anticipated costs in Iraq and Afghanistan, and he has made clear his intent to fund these wars through the normal budgeting process,' Tommy Vietor, a White House spokesman, said in an e-mail message. 'No decisions have been made about additional costs related to new resource requests from the Department of Defense.'"

The key word in that passage is "intent," as opposed to "commitment." That kind of response leaves some wiggle room for the White House.

"Although the size of any request would depend on the number of extra forces sent, Defense Department officials say they are likely to need more money even without a buildup. Robert F. Hale, the Pentagon comptroller, recently told staff members of the House Appropriations Committee that it would be hard to get through September 2010 with $130 billion, regardless of a troop increase, said a Congressional staff member who did not want to be identified as discussing internal matters. Mr. Hale declined to comment."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/world/05military.html?_r=1&ref=world