{"id":56837,"date":"2020-02-21T19:58:33","date_gmt":"2020-02-21T19:58:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2020\/02\/21\/armys-7-billion-wish-list-would-boost-mutlidomain-units-and-wartime-funding\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:14:15","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:14:15","slug":"armys-7-billion-wish-list-would-boost-mutlidomain-units-and-wartime-funding","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/smr\/federal-budget\/2020\/02\/21\/armys-7-billion-wish-list-would-boost-mutlidomain-units-and-wartime-funding\/","title":{"rendered":"US Army\u2019s $7 billion wish list would boost multidomain units and wartime funding"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 The U.S. Army\u2019s fiscal 2021 wish list \u2014 also known as an unfunded requirements list \u2014 sent to Congress amounts to nearly $5 billion more than the service placed on its list last fiscal year<\/a>, and it would give its multidomain units<\/a> in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region a boost while providing more padding for its wartime funding account.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unfunded requirements list<\/a> is something the military services send to Congress each year shortly following the release of the defense budget request to inform lawmakers on where money would be spent if there was more of it. The lists are usually provided at the request of congressional defense committees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Army\u2019s wish list was modest last year \u2014 with only $2.3 billion in unfunded requirements \u2014 the service\u2019s list this year is higher, likely to account for the fact that the $178 billion requested for FY21<\/a> is $2.2 billion less than the FY20 enacted budget, plus the last several years have sen higher budget top lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis reduction comes in a pivotal budget year for the Army as we begin to fully leverage the early successes of our modernization efforts,\u201d Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville wrote in an undated letter to congressional leaders and defense committees, obtained by Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army has referred to this moment in time as an \u201cinflection point\u201d where it needs to begin to divest its current capability <\/a>to fund ambitious modernization efforts and align with the National Defense Strategy and its new guiding operational doctrine \u2014 Multi-Domain Operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Army\u2019s FY21 budget request is anchored to the priorities set forth in the [National Defense Strategy], however this request represents a downturn in real purchasing power (-1%) from FY20,\u201d McConville wrote. \u201cWhile we have managed to sustain readiness gains the Army has achieved in FY18-20 and further invest in our six modernization priorities, our progress is at risk in future years if we don\u2019t have real growth of 3-5% in our budgets going forward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Army\u2019s base budget remained relatively flat, but in FY21 the service\u2019s overseas contingency operations, or OCO, top line was whittled down by $6 billion compared to the FY20 enacted levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lower FY21 request for OCO, according to McConville, was \u201cprimarily attributed to force reduction assumptions that have been challenged by recent events.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The general also said the Army\u2019s current estimate for its OCO shortfall totals $3.9 billion. \u201cThe Army\u2019s OCO funding requirement based on current [U.S. Central Command] troop levels and ongoing contingency operations could require up to $3.9 [billion] should troop reduction assumptions not be realized<\/a>,\u201d McConville said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of that, $3.7 billion would \u201cprimarily” support “Operation Freedom Sentinel (Afghanistan) and Operation Inherent Resolve (Iraq) and the Army Counter-Terrorism Operations around the globe \u2014 theater operations such as mobilization, transportation, force protection, base operations, combat and advisory operations, intel and electronic warfare ground collection, aerial ISR, and equipment reset,\u201d according to the wish list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cChanging and unpredictable conditions on the ground, in the Southwest Asia Area of Operations, create an uncertain fiscal environment making it difficult to forecast budgetary requirements well in advance of the year of execution,\u201d the document warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, unfunded base requirements total $3.3 billion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the top of the Army\u2019s list for unfunded requirements in the base budget is $151.4 million for enhancements for the Multi-Domain Task Force (MDTF) units in the European <\/a>and Indo-Pacific theaters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the list, the extra funding would sustain, restore and modernize building renovations and provide adequate housing for personnel and headquarters for MDTF elements and the second and third MTDF units.<\/p>\n\n\n\t