The Office of Management and Budget today outlined its support for the Senate Armed Services Committee's version of the Pentagon's fiscal year 2011 budget proposal in an statement that also flags a handful of provisions the Defense Department would prefer to see changed in a final version of the authorization bill.
Among the issues the White House is concerned about in the bill are:
Defense Weather Satellites: The Administration objects to the committee’s reduction of $241.8 million in funding for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) program. The decision to restructure the program, taken in February, was designed to address chronic budget, schedule, and management difficulties. DoD’s senior leadership recently approved a long-term, follow-on weather satellite program to NPOESS – the Defense Weather Satellite System (DWSS). The Committee’s reduction would significantly hinder the Department from taking the necessary steps to implement DWSS and to transition critical assets and data to NOAA, potentially resulting in future gaps in military and civil weather satellite coverage. The reduction could also result in terminating major elements of the existing program, impairing development of NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System program, and incurring an otherwise avoidable termination liability for both DoD and Commerce.
National Nuclear Security Administration Program Reductions: The Administration objects to reductions to key weapons programs, including the W76 Life Extension, Plutonium Infrastructure Sustainment, Kansas City Responsive Infrastructure, Tritium Readiness, and Fissile Materials Disposition programs. Failure to provide the requested funding for these programs would delay essential stockpile support and nuclear infrastructure modernization in support of the Nuclear Posture Review and would reduce NNSA’s ability to attain the W76 Life Extension Program production rates needed to meet Navy requirements.
National Guard Deployment to Secure the Southwest Border: The Administration strongly objects to Section 1041, which the Administration would construe to require the Secretary of Defense to authorize the funding for deployment, under title 32, United States Code, of at least 6,000 National Guard personnel to undertake operations such as constructing fences and border checkpoints, surveying the border, and providing radio communication interoperability among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, until the Secretary, in consultation with the Department of Homeland Security and the Governors of the border states, certifies to Congress that the Federal Government has achieved “operational control” of the border. The legislation would unduly interfere with the President’s role as Commander in Chief with respect to the management of the Total Force. The Administration continues to pursue a comprehensive, multi-layered, targeted approach to law enforcement and security on the southwest border. Within this approach, the National Guard will be utilized to meet specific, requirements-based needs where they can implement missions using their unique capabilities.
Building Partner Capacity and Foreign Policy: The Administration urges the inclusion of its requested proposals, which were developed with close coordination between the Departments of Defense and State, to build the capacity of partner-nation special and conventional forces. Among other things, these proposals are important for the implementation of U.S. policy in Afghanistan, to enhance and increase coalition participation in Afghanistan in order to reduce the pressure on U.S. forces, and to support the drawdown strategy in Iraq and counter-terrorism programs. To ensure consistency with broader foreign policy objectives, the Administration urges that any new foreign policy or assistance related authorities or requirements to do reports or determinations should require concurrence of the Secretary of State, particularly those in sections 1304 and 1534.
Commanders’ Emergency Response Program (CERP): The Administration appreciates the Committee’s continued support for this critical program, but urges the restoration of funding to the requested amount of $1.3 billion. The CERP remains a critical enabler in support of the responsible drawdown in Iraq and provides the people of Afghanistan with tangible, positive economic opportunities and improvements at the local level, leveraging the execution of the shape, clear, hold, and build aspects of our strategy.
Iraqi Security Forces Fund (ISFF): The Administration objects to the $1 billion reduction to the ISFF, and the limitation placed on the obligation of these funds. Full funding of the ISFF is critical to the development of the Iraqi military and police so that they possess the minimum essential capabilities necessary for internal security and external defense. Reducing the request would impede the transition of responsibility necessary to complete the drawdown of U.S. forces in a responsible manner. The new requirement for a determination on Iraqi commitment to build security forces and the new authority to accept contributions should require concurrence of the Secretary of State to ensure consistency with broader foreign policy objectives.
Expansion of the Defense Production Act: The Administration objects to section 214, which authorizes the use of Defense Production Act Title III authorities to develop advanced technologies for ground vehicles without a determination that the industry involved is essential to the national defense and that government assistance is required for the production of the systems and technologies. Early stage development of advanced technologies for military vehicles is best addressed in the Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation title.
Incremental and Full Funding: The Administration is concerned that the committee is authorizing incremental funding of military construction projects. As a matter of fiscal prudence, the Administration encourages full funding of these programs, which is consistent with the President’s Budget.
The Obama administration also highlighted a number of issues in the bill the bill it supports, including “
not authorizing funding for additional C-17 aircraft or for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) extra engine and by authorizing the phased adaptive approach for missile defense in Europe.” In addition, the administration notes its support for other provisions, such as: Policy Concerning Homosexuality in the Armed Forces: The Administration supports section 591 as it would allow for completion of the Comprehensive Review, enable the Department of Defense to assess the results of the review, and ensure that the implementation of the repeal is consistent with the standards of military readiness, effectiveness, unit cohesion, recruiting and retention. Such an approach recognizes the critical need to allow our military and their families the full opportunity to inform and shape the implementation process through a thorough understanding of their concerns, insights and suggestions.