U.S. Defense Budget -- News Roundup February 15, 2011

Photo credit: White House

Obama Seeks $676 Billion For Defense Programs -- Washington Times

Warns spending freeze may produce a crisis in military

The Obama administration on Monday announced its request for $676 billion for military and defense programs next year and warned House Republicans that plans to freeze defense spending for this year risks triggering a “crisis.”

The fiscal 2012 defense budget includes $117 billion to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq; $553.6 billion for Pentagon programs plus $5.1 billion in required spending, according to figures provided by the White House Office of Management and Budget.

The budget request includes $2.3 billion for funding cybersecurity programs and $975 million for two next-generation communications satellites.

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More News On The U.S. Defense Budget

Obama Asks for $671 Billion Defense Budget in Fiscal 2012 -- U.S. Department of Defense
Gates: Defense Needs $540 Billion for Fiscal ’11 -- U.S. Department of Defense
Defense Department would receive $553 billion, plus $118 billion to fund wars -- Washington Post
Budget 2012: Defense Department -- Washington Post
Factbox: Funding for major weapons programs in U.S. budget -- Reuters
Defense enjoys brief boost under Obama budget -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Obama Seeks Major Cuts in Defense Budget, Still World’s Largest -- Voice of America
The Pentagon’s FY-12 Modernization Request: A Snapshot -- Defense Tech
Proposal Trims Defense Outlays For First Time Since 9/11 Attacks -- Wall Street Journal

Pentagon budget down due to Iraq pullout: US -- AFP
Pentagon Seeks $118 Billion For Afghan, Iraq Operations In 2012 -- Radio Free Europe
Afghan war costs $300 million a day: Pentagon -- AFP

Gates Sees Crisis in Current Spending -- New York Times
Gates warns of ‘crisis' if 2011 budget not passed -- Federal Times
Gates says Pentagon will settle for smaller budget -- AFP

Boeing Craft, Helicopters Gain in Pentagon's $671 Billion Defense Budget -- Blooomberg
Gates Seeks Help To End JSF Alternate Engine -- Aviation Week
U.S. Air Force Seeks $3.74 Billion for New Bomber Program -- Bloomberg
U.S. to stop funding NATO missile defense program -- Reuters
Pentagon: U.S. will not field MEADS -- Army Times
Navy budget request adds Hornets, ships in 2012 -- Navy Times
Pentagon budget request funds 11 ships in FY 2012 -- Marine Log

Obama's Pentagon budget hits divided Congress -- Reuters
Republicans May Fight Obama's $671 Billion 2012 Defense Budget in Congress -- Bloomberg
Armed Services chairman has 'significant concerns' about DoD budget plan -- The Hill
Pentagon calculates cost to figure out the costs -- CNN

Commentaries, Opinions, And Analysis

Navy Budgets -- Information Dissemination
Is the Pentagon’s Drone Spending Spree Over? -- The Danger Room
Pentagon’s 2012 Budget Makes Highly Optimistic Assumptions About ‘Efficiency’ Savings -- National Defense
Why Pentagon budget cuts might not be as impressive as they sound -- Christian Science Monitor
The Mighty Military Budget -- Joshua Green, The Atlantic
The Defense Department won the future, or at least the budget -- Ezra Klein, Washington Post
Why is Obama cutting the Pentagon's budget? -- Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post
Budget May Be Safe For Now, But Weapon Makers Should Worry -- Sandra I. Erwin, National Defense
Americans Remain Divided on Defense Spending -- Gallop