{"id":43761,"date":"2019-05-13T18:47:30","date_gmt":"2019-05-13T18:47:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/05\/13\/us-air-force-nuclear-space-programs-take-hit-in-border-wall-reprogramming\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:31:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:31:48","slug":"us-air-force-nuclear-space-programs-take-hit-in-border-wall-reprogramming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/federal-budget\/2019\/05\/13\/us-air-force-nuclear-space-programs-take-hit-in-border-wall-reprogramming\/","title":{"rendered":"US Air Force nuclear, space programs take hit in border wall reprogramming"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Correction: A previous version of this story contained an erroneous amount of reprogrammed money. The story has been updated to show the Pentagon reprogrammed $1.5 billion in FY19 funds.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 In the wake of the Pentagon reprogramming $1.5 billion in fiscal 2019 funds to support President Donald Trump\u2019s border wall with Mexico, only the U.S. Air Force appears to be losing money appropriated for equipment updates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The funding largely comes from personnel accounts in the Air Force, Navy and Army. But the Air Force is the only service to lose funding for hardware, including nuclear and conventional weapons, surveillance aircraft updates, and space programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, the Pentagon reprogrammed $818.465 million from FY19 defense appropriations, as well as $681.535 million from FY19 overseas contingency operations accounts, or OCO, to reach that $1.5 billion total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Lawmakers expressed concern that the use of military resources and manpower on the southern border will damage military readiness. However, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said last week that ongoing deployments to support the Defense Department aren\u2019t doing so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe\u2019ve seen no degradation to readiness,\u201d he told Senate appropriators May 8 at a defense budget hearing. \u201cIn fact, in some cases, it\u2019s enhanced our readiness because the troops get to perform certain functions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Congressional Democrats and some Republicans have objected to the administration\u2019s use of this mechanism for funding the president\u2019s border wall, arguing it bypasses Congress\u2019 constitutional power of the purse. For the second time in recent weeks, the Pentagon ignored decades of precedent and carried out the transfer of funds without first consulting with the Senate Appropriations Committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. Patrick Leahy, the Senate Appropriations Committee\u2019s top Democrat, led a letter to Shanahan on May 10 to object to the latest instance, saying it harms hurricane cleanup at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2019\/05\/10\/storm-ravaged-bases-wait-on-washington-for-repair-money\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-1142305056.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Storm-ravaged bases wait on Washington for repair money<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Hundreds of millions of repair dollars are at stake for several stateside military bases.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe are dismayed that the Department has chosen to prioritize a political campaign promise over the disaster relief needs of our service members, given the finite reprogramming authority available,&#8221; the lawmakers wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They noted that Shanahan\u2019s decision to notify Congress of the reprogramming came a day after he testified before the subpanel that oversees defense spending, and they wrote that they welcomed his views on \u201chow you intend to repair the damaged relationship between the defense oversight committees and the [Defense] Department.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The letter was also signed by the Senate Armed Services Committee\u2019s top Democrat, Sen. Jack Reed, as well as Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin, Brian Schatz, Tom Udall , Patty Murray, Chris Murphy, Tammy Baldwin, Dianne Feinstein and Jon Tester.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reprogramming could be a topic at Shanahan\u2019s future confirmation hearing for the full job of defense secretary. A date for that hearing has not been set.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><b>Why the Air Force?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About half of the non-OCO $818 million sum the Defense Department wants to redirect to the border comes from Air Force accounts, with space and missile programs taking the biggest hit. In total, the Pentagon expects the service to shear $402 million off its FY19 budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">About $210 million would be cut from Air Force space programs, specifically the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program, which funds the use of rockets that send satellites and other capabilities into space. According to the reprogramming document, one rocket launch has been canceled because of Maxar Technologies subsidiary SSL\u2019s departure from the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites program. SSL was set to build a robot capable of fixing satellites in orbit, but pulled out of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency effort earlier this year because of concerns that it may not see a return on investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force\u2019s program for modernizing its E-3 Sentry early warning aircraft \u2014 more commonly called AWACS \u2014 also could lose funding that it no longer needs in FY19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The program, &#8220;Diminishing Manufacturing Sources Replacement of Avionics for Global Operations and Navigation,\u201d or DRAGON, updates the E-3\u2019s avionics and brings it into compliance with future air traffic control requirements. But it is moving too slowly to use all of the funds it was appropriated in FY19, so the administration aims to have $57 million diverted for border protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DRAGON has been delayed for two reasons, according to the reprogramming request. First, \u201caircraft have been available for programmed depot maintenance\u201d at a slower-than-planned rate, dragging out the modification schedule. Additionally, DRAGON integration can only occur after AWACS are upgraded to the Block 40\/45 configuration, and not all aircraft have gone through that process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Air Force sees AWACS as a key part of its initial version of the Advanced Battle Management System, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/air\/2018\/02\/22\/heres-what-we-know-about-the-air-forces-alternative-to-the-jstars-recap\/\" target=_blank>family of systems<\/a> that will provide ground surveillance across the different military services. Instead of retiring seven E-3s in FY18, Gen. Mike Holmes, head of Air Combat Command, said those planes could be upgraded with new sensors and communications gear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, DRAGON isn\u2019t the only modernization effort for the Sentry that is moving slower than expected. In November, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2018-11-06\/boeing-upgrade-of-surveillance-plane-s-radar-scrapped-by-u-s\" target=\"_blank\">Bloomberg reported<\/a> that the service terminated a contract with Boeing to upgrade the AWAC\u2019s characteristic disc-shaped radar due to repeated delays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other Air Force programs that will take a hit include a planned upgrade to the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile and the air-launched cruise missile programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A number of top defense officials previously said nuclear modernization is the top priority for the Pentagon, including Ellen Lord, the department\u2019s acquisition head, who on May 1 told Congress: \u201cWe have weapons that are decades over what was supposed to be their useful life. And we are out of time. We need to continue on the path we\u2019re on, or we are going to fall behind and not have the nuclear deterrence that we enjoy today.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The document reprograms $24.3 million, of the $124.5 million appropriated in FY19, from the Minuteman III Launch Control Block Upgrade program; the document claims funds are available due to a \u201cslip in the production schedule for FY 2020.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, $29.6 million \u2014 more than half of the $47.6 million appropriated for the air-launched cruise missile programs in FY19 \u2014 will be reprogrammed. The explanation for that change: \u201cFunds are available due to contract savings from reduced guided missile flight controller modification requirements; and due to lack of executable requirements for Support Equipment and Low Cost Mods in FY 2019.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reprogramming of funds for the Hellfire missile is also notable, as the Pentagon has identified a lack of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/pentagon\/2018\/05\/22\/the-us-is-running-out-of-bombs-and-it-may-soon-struggle-to-make-more\/\" target=\"_blank\">munitions stockpiles<\/a> as a major issue to address in its budget request. As an example, the FY20 budget <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/smr\/federal-budget\/2019\/03\/12\/despite-push-for-future-tech-munitions-remain-major-wedge-in-budget\/\" target=\"_blank\">called for the maximum rate of production<\/a> possible on Hellfire: $730.8 million for 9,000 of the weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The document states that funds are \u201cavailable due to contract savings from all variants that provide precision kill capabilities. Savings are attributed to negotiated lower unit costs per missile system.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pentagon is taking $402 million from Air Force programs as part of a reprogramming effort to support the border 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