The Pentagon plans to delay the delivery of its fiscal year 2009 war cost estimate until at least the spring and will transmit only its base budget request to Congress next month, according to Defense Department officials. The shift, which will delay for many months a complete picture of U.S. military spending needs, is designed to give Pentagon planners time to update FY-09 supplemental spending requests prepared by the military departments last fall to ensure they reflect Gen. David Petraeus'...
