WASHINGTON, March 6 (UPI) -- The military services say they need an additional $22 billion over the $500 billion defense and war budget requests the Pentagon submitted for 2007.
Missouri Democrat Rep. Ike Skelton said the Army has asked for an additional $7.44 billion, including $450 million to repair equipment worn out in the war. The Navy has requested $4.58 billion. The Air Force wants an additional $5.64 billion, including $52 million for up-armored Humvees and $61 million for M-4 rifles for airmen who are on force protection duty for the Army in Iraq. The Marine Corps wants an extra $2.56 billion.
Skelton also requested a figure from the National Guard, which has been heavily used in the Iraq war and has reported equipment shortages across the country. It says it needs an additional $1.61 billion.
The unfunded requirements list is an annual submission requested by Congress from the military services in which they identify those programs they were forced to cut or reduce when presented with the budget top line by the Office of the Secretary of Defense. It serves both a practical and political role. As Congress considers the defense budget, it can use the list to make changes or add to the request that reflect the requirements of the individual services. On a political note they provide the basis for criticizing the White House for failing to fully fund the military, a particularly sharp charge during wartime.
According to Skelton, the list of unfunded requirements is 48 percent larger than last year's list. He suggested President George W. Bush is not fully funding the cost of the war, despite the separate $68 billion war supplemental request that comes on top of the defense budget.
"While we cannot expect the administration's budget to accommodate all of the services' requests, it must provide for the costs of the war, including the costs of maintaining and replacing the equipment our forces will use to fight this and future conflicts," Skelton said.
