WASHINGTON \u2014 The Pentagon has requested to reprogram $600 million in funding and plans to ask Congress for more supplemental dollars to deal with a series of natural disasters that have left the Air Force and Marines reeling, according to a new memo obtained by Defense News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Signed by Acting Secretary of Defense Pat Shanahan and dated March 23, the memo is addressed to the service secretaries and chiefs of staff of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force. In it, Shanahan writes that \u201cOur primary challenge is hurricane and storm damage, which we estimate at just under $9 billion across multiple fiscal years.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the memo, Shanahan notes the Pentagon has submitted to Congress a \u201c$600 million prior approval reprogramming request for near-term hurricane recovery actions sourced from within our own budget. Shanahan adds, \u201cWe understand the effect on readiness if Congress does not approve the reprogramming action.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t