Defense Budget Alert

The Air Force's new strategy for science and technology may cause changes in its fiscal year 2020 budget, according to the service's research and development lead.

The Overseas Contingency Operations account was introduced in 2009 to fund wars abroad, meant to give the Pentagon greater flexibility to pay for unexpected costs.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is seeking a $65 million funding boost in fiscal year 2020 for its main portfolio of artificial intelligence development efforts, as well as an array of other increases and new-start projects related to AI and machine learning.

Acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan said today the Pentagon fully understands the "downsides" to overturning decades of precedent to reprogram $1 billion in Army personnel funding to construct 57 miles of fencing on the southern border without the approval of Congress, especially since lawmakers have warned that could lead them to eliminating the Pentagon's funding flexibility altogether.

Despite a $600 million cut to the European Deterrence Initiative, the head of U.S. European Command is not seeking specific funding increases to the fiscal year 2020 budget.

The Missile Defense Agency has provided Congress a $1.9 billion wish list to finance 11 projects above and beyond the agency's $9.4 billion fiscal year 2020 budget request, including bolstering spending for a new space sensor to track hypersonic and ballistic missiles, additional THAAD interceptors and additional investments for lasers and new warhead development.

HUNTSVILLE, AL -- The Army wants to shift another $10 billion across the fiscal year 2021 to 2025 future years defense plan for modernization reform, following a $33 billion shift between FY-20 and FY-24.

The Pentagon today shifted $1 billion from Army funds to a counternarcotics account to construct 57 miles of fencing along the United States-Mexico border, according to documents obtained by Inside Defense.

The Pentagon has sent Congress a $600 million reprogramming request for near-term hurricane recovery, but will need supplemental funding to cover $9 billion in damage across multiple fiscal years, according to an internal memo from acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan.