A FY2015 budget amendment submitted to the Congress yesterday would provide the Department of Defense (DoD) $3.4 billion to conduct operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
This request comes after the president announced that he is increasing the number of U.S. forces advising and training Iraqi and Kurdish troops by 1,500 to about 3,000.
Operations against ISIL are currently being funded from existing OCO funding, according to DoD. However, DoD has cautioned that additional funding would be required as the pace of operations increased. Secretary of Defense has repeatedly warned that operations against ISIL are long-term.
The $3.4 billion requested for Operation INHERENT RESOLVE will fund: the operations and maintenance (O&M) costs of air, ground and naval forces engaged in the operation; sustain and support forces deployed to “provide training, advice, and assistance to partner security forces engaged in the fight against ISIL;” and replenish and replace munitions expended during airstrikes against ISIL forces. According to DoD justification documents, $2.0 billion will be for In-Theater Support, $0.3 billion for equipment reset, and $1.2 billion for classified programs.
Over two-thirds of the $3.4 billion will be for O&M appropriations ($2.3 billion). Military Personnel costs account for $141 million, Procurement funding will be $827 million, and RDT&E programs will require $145 million.
Air Force requirements are $1.581 billion (46 percent of total funding). The Army receives $957 million (28 percent) for its operations, the Navy gets $260 million (8 percent), and Defense-wide activities are allocated $632 million (18 percent).
In addition to the $3.4 billion, the president requested $1.6 billion to set up the Iraq Train and Equip Fund (ITEF) ”to develop and support Iraqi national security forces, including Kurdish forces, as they confront ISIL in Iraq.”
These amounts (totaling $5 billion) are to be funded in DoD Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) accounts and are in addition to the $58.6 billion DoD Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) request the president sent requested in June. The total DoD OCO request for FY2015 is now $63.6 billion.
A DoD spokesperson said Congress will have to act on the president’s funding request before the additional 1,500 troops can be deployed. Congress will begin a lame duck session this week with hopes of completing action on FY2015 appropriations bills, including DoD OCO funding, before adjourning.
[…] January. The president and defense Secretary Chuck Hagel are also pressing Congress to approve the recently-submitted budget amendment to provide funding and the authority to train and equip rebels fighting ISIL. Congress will likely […]