Pentagon seeks $100B more for terror fight

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Defense Department wants nearly $100 billion more for operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, it was reported Saturday.

If approved by Congress, the $99.7 billion request on top of $70 billion already approved for this fiscal year, would set an annual record for war-related spending, The New York Times said.

The request -- 45 percent more than Congress provided for 2006 -- is likely to receive more scrutiny from Congress next year than previous supplemental spending bills, the Times said.

This is in part because Democrats are poised to control both the House and Senate. Another reason is because the Pentagon asks for costs related to the longer war against terror, not just operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the newspaper said.

"There are a number of weapons systems in the supplemental request not normally associated with fighting terrorists but which the services say still should be covered as part of the global effort," Lexington Institute defense analyst Loren Thompson said.