Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, testifies before the House Armed Services Committee on the fiscal year 2014 defense budget request in Washington, D.C., April 11, 2013. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel also testified. DoD photo by Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
Seven Things You Didn't Know About The DOD Budget Request -- The E-Ring/Foreign Policy
You know President Obama's fiscal 2014 defense spending request is a cut. You know it doesn't include war costs. You know it'll be a slog to get any of it passed by Congress as requested. But here are 10 things about it you may not know:
1. It was finished four months ago.? Defense Department planners finished most of the work on this budget request by December, like they do most years. The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) effectively has been sitting on it since February, as Congress and the administration have tried to wrangle a larger deal on federal spending levels. That means much of next year's budget is based on pricing, readiness needs, and threat assumptions that will be even more outdated than usual by the time Congress passes a fiscal 2014 defense spending bill. First they have to pass the fiscal 2013 spending bill, though.
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WNU Editor: For a news roundup on the Pentagon's budget request, go here.