{"id":25915,"date":"2020-02-25T17:28:45","date_gmt":"2020-02-25T17:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/02\/25\/army-wants-364-million-to-put-on-defender-pacific-in-fy21\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:12:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:12:07","slug":"army-wants-364-million-to-put-on-defender-pacific-in-fy21","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2020\/02\/25\/army-wants-364-million-to-put-on-defender-pacific-in-fy21\/","title":{"rendered":"US Army wants $364 million for Defender Pacific in FY21"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Army is requesting $364 million to conduct a division-sized exercise in the Indo-Pacific region<\/a> in fiscal 2021, the service confirmed to Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, the cost breakout details are classified, according to an Army spokeswoman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exercise is fueled by a rising China, characterized in the National Defense Strategy as a long-term, strategic competitor of the United States. The NDS lays out a world where great power competition rather than counterterrorism will drive the Defense Department\u2019s decision-making and force structure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the U.S. Army has 85,000 permanently stationed troops in the Indo-Pacific region and is already conducting exercises such as Pacific Pathways <\/a>with allies and partners, the service is aiming to practice rapid deployment from the continental United States to the Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In FY20, the Army will conduct a smaller version of Defender Pacific while Defender Europe will get more investment and focus<\/a>. But then attention and dollars will swing over to the Pacific in FY21.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defender Europe <\/a>will be scaled back in FY21. The Army is requesting just $150 million to conduct the exercise in Europe, according to the Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year it has been reported that Defender Europe, already underway with troops and equipment arriving at ports on the continent this month, will cost about $340 million, which is roughly in line with what the service is requesting in FY21 for the Pacific version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only specific funding lines broken out for the FY21 Defender Pacific exercise is home station training; it\u2019s unclear if those numbers are included in the total cost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army is requesting $150,000 for home stationing training devoted specifically for Defender Pacific and is also asking for another $214,252 for an \u201cexpanded level deployment exercise that demonstrates employment of [Continental United States]-based forces into the Pacific Theater,\u201d according to budget documents. The funds include additional transportation, maintenance and operations for the exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\t