the war chest: war funding and the end of the war in afghanistan

8/21/2019 The War Chest: War Funding and the End of the War in Afghanistan

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The War Chest

War Funding and the End of the War in Afghanistan

By Katherine Blakeley and Lawrence Korb October 2014

WWW.AMERICANPROGRESS.O


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The War ChestWar Funding and the End of the War in Afghanistan

By Katherine Blakeley and Lawrence Korb October 2014


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1 Introduction and summary

6 War funding in context

12 The FY 2015 OCO request

24 Policy recommendations

28 Conclusion

29 About the authors

30 Acknowledgments

31 Endnotes

Contents


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1 Center for American Progress |The War Chest

Introduction and summary

As he hird anniversary o he wihdrawal o U.S. roops rom Iraq in December

2011 approaches, he U.S. miliary finds isel in a period o ransiion. U.S. orces

in Aghanisan are preparing o draw down o jus 9,800 soldiers on he ground by

January 1, 2015, a major decrease rom he nearly 30,000 roops here now and

well below he peak o abou 100,000 roops in 2011. Tese remaining orces will

halve o 4,900 by he end o 2015 and decrease o an embassy presence o abou

300 hereafer, ending a conflic ha has lased more han a decade.1

Wih he end o he war in Aghanisan in sigh, Congress and he Penagon mus

decide how o wind down he unding esablished o pay or hese wars, known as

Overseas Coningency Operaions, or OCO, unding. Te debae over he war

unding is complicaed by crises around he world. ussias belligerence in Ukraine;

he advances o he Islamic Sae o Iraq and al-Sham, or ISIS, and he resuling U.S.

airsrikes in Iraq and Syria; and he coninued downward spiral o he Syrian civil

war have all been roted ou as reasons o jusiy a subsanial increase in he deense

budge. Secreary o Deense Chuck Hagel has said ha he Penagons war-unding

reques or fiscal year 2015 migh have o be adjused. Expers believe ha he

Penagon will ask or addiional war unding, esimaed a approximaely $6 billion.2

ushing o add OCO money in response o he admitedly serious range o global

crises, however, overlooks he ac ha here is already subsanial flexibiliy wihin

already appropriaed OCO unds o cover unexpeced expenses. Beyond he

immediae cries o increase deense spending o batle ISIS, he persisence o high

OCO unding requess and appropriaions is problemaic. Tere is coninued

uncerainy abou he sabiliy and uncionaliy o a uniy governmen in Aghanisan

and he iming o U.S. roop wihdrawals. However, he FY 2015 OCO budge

reques o $58.6 billion is a large reques or wha will become a small conflic asU.S. roops coninue o draw down afer he summer 2014 fighing season.

Concerns have also been raised ha some orm o OCO unding will persis

indefiniely, even afer he war in Aghanisan concludes.


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Allowing he U.S. Deparmen o Deense, or DOD, o coninue o have a separae

war budge is boh a fiscal and sraegic misake. Financially, he war unding

decimaes any preense o fiscal discipline a he Penagon. I has obscured he rue

coss o he wars in Iraq and Aghanisan and has allowed DOD o pay or subsanial

ongoing cossones ha belong in he base budgewih war unding. Finally,

i has le boh Congress and DOD circumven he caps on deense spending pu inplace by he Budge Conrol Ac o 2011, or BCA.

Sraegically, he abundance o war unding allows he Penagon o preend ha he

budge will remain effecively unlimied and o avoid he difficul conversaions

abou our deense resources, commimens, invesmen prioriies, and he necessary

rade-offs. Using OCO unding o pospone hese ough choices does our miliary

and our naional securiya disservice. Te use o exising OCO appropriaions

o pay or he curren campaign agains ISIS has allowed Congress and he public

o sidesep imporan quesions abou he use and auhorizaion o U.S. miliary

orce. Te prospec o a permanen coningency und risks urher erosion ocongressional prerogaives, as well as a de aco expansion o presidenial war powers.

Is ime o wind down he curren war unding. Excepional coss and new crises

can be handled hrough requess or emergency unding, as was he case beore

he global war on error. Congress needs o push DOD o reurn long-erm coss

o he base budge. Te ollowing key seps are necessary.

Keep OCO funds tied to the costs of war

Te persisence o an ongoing spigo o money has decimaed any preense o fiscal

discipline a he Penagon. Unclear budge guidance and poor financial managemen

have allowed DOD o shif subsanial ongoing coss rom he base budge ino

he OCO accouns and has obscured how much he wars in Iraq and Aghanisan

acually cos. DOD has announced ha i will release guidance on how o migrae

aciviies unded in OCO o he base budge his all, as par o he process o

developing he FY 2016 budge reques.3Tis guidance mus be robus, and DOD

mus move aciviies no direcly relaed o he conflic in Aghanisan back o he

base budge as quickly and horoughly as possible. Congress mus push DOD omake sure ha permanen coss are no unded hrough OCO. Enduring coss

such as unding or he U.S. Cenral Command, or CENCOM; he Navys orward

presence mission; surveillance capabiliies; and rouine levels o operaions, including

ongoing Special Forces operaionsshould be unded in he base budge.


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Stop using OCO funds as a safety valve for the base defense budget

Te BCA sequeser caps ha limi he base budge have urher incenivized he

services o shif unds rom he base budge o he OCO budge, in effec sidesep-

ping he BCA caps on he base budge and enabling subsanially larger deense

spending. While he 2009 Office o Managemen and Budge, or OMB, guidancedoes limi wha iems can be in OCO, here is considerable wiggle room, and he

Penagon has been able o use he OCO unds as a means o pospone or miigae

ougher choices abou wha o und in he base budge. Tis sance, like he

Penagons projecion o an addiional $115 billion in deense spending above he

BCA caps hrough FY 2019, i llusraes ha he Penagon is sill operaing as

hough he near-record-high unding levels ha characerized he decade afer

9/11 will reurn.4

Mainaining enduring coss in he OCO budge makes i much harder o wind down

his unprecedened unding srucure and normalize he deense budge in he uure.According o he U.S. Governmen Accounabiliy Office, or GAO, Penagon officials

have saed ha he consrained fiscal environmen creaed by sequesraion and

DODs subsequen base-budge cus have conribued o he deparmens relucance

o ransiion OCO coss o DODs base budge.5In essence, DOD is using he

coninued availabiliy o OCO unding o avoid making more difficul choices abou

resourcing in he base budge and o sidesep he BCA caps. Te Penagon has argued

ha OCO unds will be an enduring requiremen or years afer he end o he war

in Aghanisan and will likely coninue o avoid he ough choices.6Army General

John Campbell, ormer Army vice chie o saff and curren commander o he

Inernaional Securiy Assisance Force in Aghanisan, called OCO unding crack

cocaine because when you ge on i, you don wan o ge off i.7

Do not make OCO a permanent emergency fund

OCO unding risks becoming a permanen emergency und. In FY 2013 and FY

2014, here have been subsanial amouns o money lef over in he OCO accouns.

Te use o remaining FY 2014 OCO appropriaions o pay or he coss o he U.S.

campaign agains ISISas much as $1.1 billion beween June 16 and Ocober 6raher han requesing specific emergency supplemenal appropriaions, uses OCO

as a deaul emergency und.8


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Te $4 billion requesed in he FY 2015 OCO budge or a Counererrorism

Parnerships Fund and $1 billion or a European eassurance Iniiaive in response

o crises in he Middle Eas and Ukraine would insiuionalize OCO as permanen

emergency money. Moreover, he $500 million requesed in he Counererrorism

Parnerships Fund or open-ended crisis response makes DODs desire or a

permanen emergency und explici.9

However, boh o hese poenial unds wouldlargely pay or rouine aciviies ha belong in he base budge, raher han one-ime

emergency expendiures. Parnering wih naions under hrea rom errorism,

increasing inelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, or IS, and helicoper

and mariime suppor capaciy or U.S. orces should be unded in he base budge

and balanced agains oher prioriies. Beore OCO, he Penagon would reques

emergency supplemenal appropriaions o pay or he coss o responding o a

crisis. DOD does no need a sanding slush und in he case o an emergency.

Exercise authorizing and oversight authority for military action

Te use o exising OCO appropriaions o pay or he curren campaign agains

ISIS has allowed Congress and he public o sidesep imporan quesions abou he

use and auhorizaion o U.S. miliary orce. Te curren U.S. miliary airsrikes and

oher aciviies in Iraqesimaed o cos abou $1.1 billion o daeare being

unded ou o unobligaed FY 2014 OCO appropriaions.10elying on he pool o

exra FY 2014 OCO unding has so ar allowed Congress o sidesep quesions abou

he auhorizaion o miliary orce in he conflic wih ISIS.

However, congressional oversigh and debae or hese requess, and or broader

quesions abou he use o miliary orce in he region, is essenial. Tese are

subsanial commimens o resources and mus be debaed on heir own erms.

Te prospec o an enduring OCO reques ha includes nearly $5 billion in flexible

unding or broadly defined counererrorism suppor and crisis response allows

DOD o und a wide range o operaions, while permiting Congress o sidesep

he imporan debae abou auhorizing he use o miliary orce.11A permanen

coningency und risks urher erosion o congressional prerogaives and a de aco

expansion o presidenial war powers.


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Have the tough conversations about defense resources and trade-offs

Sraegically, he abundance o war unding allows he Penagon o preend ha he

deense budge will remain effecively unlimied. Te persisence o he separae

OCO budge reques, which ypically receives less scruiny han he base budge

reques, means ha necessary conversaions abou U.S. deense resources, commi-mens, invesmen prioriies, and rade-offs do no occur.12Having a ull picure o

DODs spending, prioriies, and commimens in he base budge is essenial o

evaluaing he prioriizaion, resourcing, and rade-offs in he naions deense budge.

Using OCO unding o pospone hese ough choices does our miliaryand our

naional securiya disservice.

As Congress considers he FY 2015 DOD appropriaions bill, H.. 4870, i mus

execue is oversigh responsibiliy over he OCO reques. Tis repor discusses he

hisory and conex o he war unding and he deails o he FY 2015 reques and

offers specific conclusions and recommendaions o policymakers.


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War funding in context

Overseas Coningency Operaions unding originaed in he orm o emergency

supplemenal appropriaions o he Deparmen o Deense and oher ederal

agencies in he immediae afermah o he erroris atacks on Sepember 11, 2001.13

Tireen years afer he beginning o he conflic in Aghanisan, DOD has requesed

$58.6 billion in emergency unding o pay he coss o wha used be known as he

Global War on error. A he same ime, he deense budge remains very high in

hisoric erms, and despie he drawdowns o roops in Iraq and Aghanisan, he

$554 billion oal deense budge reques is sill nearly 30 percen larger han hePenagons fiscal year 2000 budge in real erms.14

Tis persisence o emergency war unding is unprecedened. Hisorically,

emergency appropriaions were used o und he incremenal iniial or unexpeced

coss o mos coningency operaions, such as campaign-level miliary operaions,

disaser relie, peacekeeping, or humaniarian assisance wihin he same fiscal year.

Once cos projecions could be done, longer-erm operaions were unded ou o

he nex years base budge.15For example, during he firs wo years o he Vienam

War, he coss were mosly paid or via supplemenal appropriaions. By FY 1968,

he Johnson adminisraion asked or jus $1.3 billion in supplemenal appropriaions,

abou 5 percen o he esimaed cos o he war in ha year.16However, he Bush

adminisraion made i he norm o reques all Global War on error coss as

emergency unding raher han moving longer-erm coss ino he base budge,

which is subjec o he normal DOD budge review process.17

Saring in 2006, he DOD revised is inernal budge guidance o allow longer

war agains error coss o be paid or via hese emergency and supplemenal

appropriaions. Tese coss could include rese coss or equipmen, acceleraed

repair or equipmen, and coss o speed up specific orce capabiliy, bu DOD didno specifically define wha coss were o be included.18Wih litle guidance, he

services developed heir own sysems or atribuing coss no clearly linked o

specific war on error operaions, requenly atribuing normal base budge coss

as incremenal war on error coss. For example, in FY 2008, he Navy atribued


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$875 million o he coss o humaniarian assisance missions in Cenral and Souh

America and orward presence missions by he Pacific flee saioned in Hawaii,

Japan, and Guam o he longer war agains error, hough he Navy would normally

have ships operaing in he regions during peaceime.19

Very litle o he coss o he wars in Iraq and Aghanisan have been shifed o hebase budge. Beween FY 2001 and FY 2011, as he deense budge nearly doubled,

all bu $3 billion o DODs war coss were unded hrough supplemenal or

emergency appropriaions.20Beween FY 2001 and FY 2015, DOD asked or abou

$1.7 rillion in FY 2015 dollars or war unding, in addiion o he base budge

reques.21Tese requess have unded Operaion Enduring Freedom, or OEF,

which unds he conflic in Aghanisan as well as ani-errorism operaions in he

Philippines and oher areas; Operaion Noble Eagle, which enhanced securiy or

U.S. miliary bases and oher homeland securiy iniiaives; Operaion Iraqi

Freedom, which unded he conflic in Iraq rom is buildup in he all o 2002

hrough he end o comba operaions a he end o Augus 2010; and OperaionNew Dawn, which suppored he miliarys rain-and-assis operaion in Iraq

beween Sepember 2010 hrough he wihdrawal o U.S. comba orces rom Iraq,

compleed in December 2011. Te curren U.S. miliary airsrikes and oher

aciviies in Iraq, esimaed a abou $1.1 billion o dae, are also being unded ou

o unobligaed FY 2014 OCO appropriaions.

Emergency-designaed unding or he wars in Iraq and Aghanisan ranged beween

a low o $17 billion in FY 2002$24 billion in FY 2015 dollarsand a peak o

$187 billion in FY 2008. Tis is $201 billion in FY 2015 dollars. (see Figures 1 and 2)

A imes, he war unding has been equal o abou 40 percen o DODs base budge.

For FY 2015, DOD requesed $58.6 billion in war unding and anicipaes uure

OCO requess o abou $30 billion annually rom FY 2016 o FY 2019.22While

hese are only esimaes, i means ha he Penagon is anicipaing requesing an

addiional $178.6 billion in OCO undingnominally or he war in Aghanisan

and oher counererrorism operaionsover he nex five years, in addiion o

DODs base budge.


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FIGURE 1

OCO budget in context, FY 1990 to FY 2019

Constant FY 2015 dollars, in billions

Source: Sources: Figures from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, United States Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2015 BudgetRequest Overview(U.S. Department of Defense, 2014), p. 15, available at http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/

fy2015/fy2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdf; Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, United States Department of DefenseFiscal Year 2014 Budget Amendment Overview: Overseas Contingency Operations(U.S. Department of Defense, 2014), p. 6, available at

http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/amendment/FY2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book_Amended.pdf. BCA caps from DOD's share of the defense BCA caps was estimated at 95.5 percent, following previous application. SeeCongressional Budget Office, "Long-Term Implications of the 2014 Future Years Defense Program" (2013), Figure 1, Note D, available at

http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/_les/cbo_les/attachments/44683-FYDP.pdf; Current year dollars were converted to constant FY 2015dollars using the deflation factors from Office of Management and Budget, Fiscal Year 2015 Historical Tables: Budget of The U.S. Government(2014), Table 10.1, "Gross Domestic Product and Deflators Used in the Historical Tables: 1940-2019," available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/

omb/budget/historicals.

Total budget

Base budget

Future projected total budget

Future projected base budget

BCA caps

$4001990 2000 2005 2010 20151995

$500

$600

$700

$800

Percentage of

base request

OCO budget

Projected OCO budget

2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019

FIGURE 2

OCO funding as a percentage of base DOD budget, FY 2001 to FY 2019

Constant FY 2015 dollars, in billions

Sources: Amounts in constant FY 2015 Dollars. Current year figures from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, United States Department

of Defense Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Request Overview(U.S. Department of Defense, 2014), p. 15, available at http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/fy2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdf; Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, UnitedStates Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Amendment Overview: Overseas Contingency Operations (U.S. Department of Defense,

2014), p. 6, available at http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/amendment/FY2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book_Amended.pdf; Current year dollars were converted to constant FY 2015 dollars using the deflation factors from theOffice of Management and Budget, Fiscal Year 2015 Historical Tables: Budget of The U.S. Government(2014), Table 10.1, "Gross Domestic

Product and Deflators Used in the Historical Tables: 1940-2019," available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/historicals.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

$0

$50

$100

$150

$200

$250


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BCA caps and war funding

Te Budge Conrol Ac o 2011, which limied he base budges or all ederal

agencies and deparmens, has urher muddied he DOD budge picure.

Te Penagon exaggeraes he impac o he BCA caps. Under he BCA caps, heDOD base budgeis porion o he overall deense shareis capped a $496

billion in FY 2015, higher han DODs base budge in FY 2007 in real erms. Te

DOD budge caps rise o $554 billion in FY 2021$507 billion in FY 2015

dollars.23Overall, under he BCA caps, he base budge would in FY 2021 be 10

percen lower han is peak in FY 2010 and jus slighly lower han i was in FY

2008. Compared wih FY 2001, he FY 2021 base budge under he BCA caps

would be $94 billion larger in real erms, or 23 percen larger.24

Te BCA caps have complicaed moving money rom OCO unding back ino he

base budge, despie he allocaion crieria esablished by he Office o Managemenand Budge in 2009. While he DOD base budge is capped hrough FY 2021,

unds designaed as OCO or emergency appropriaions are no subjec o he same

limis on discreionary spending. Boh Congress and DOD have aken advanage

o his wiggle room.

In he FY 2013 budge, he Army decided ha unding or abou 50,000 soldiers

should be considered par o he emporary buildup or Iraq and Aghanisan and

hereore paid or ou o he more generous and lighly reviewed OCO budge.

Tis sleigh o hand reed up $4.1 billion in he base budge ha he Army could

hen use or oher prioriies.25And in he FY 2015 OCO budge reques, he

Penagon has asked or $4 billion or a Counererrorism Parnerships Fund and

nearly $1 billion or a European eassurance Iniiaive. Divorced rom specific

coningencies and wih anicipaed aciviies such as improved U.S. inelligence,

surveillance, and reconnaissance capabiliy, as well as helicopers or Special Forces,

hese unds do no belong in he OCO budge.

Te Governmen Accounabiliy Office also esimaes ha he services und abou

75 percen o U.S. Cenral Commands headquarers coss wih OCO unds.26

In he FY 2015 OCO reques, $18.1 billion suppors U.S. orward presence in heCENCOM region, including an anicipaed 63,309 roops. Alhough hese soldiers

do suppor OEF aciviies in Aghanisan, much o his cos can be considered a

long-erm mission and should be unded in he base budge.


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Congress has also shifed Operaion and Mainenance, or O&M, unds ino OCO

rom he base budge. Despie he ac ha DOD ried o move unding or he

Join Improvised Explosive Device Deea Fund ino he base budge, Congress

moved he unding back ino OCO even hough his is logically a long-erm

counererrorism aciviy.27Shorly afer he BCA deal was made in Sepember

2011, he conerees on he DOD appropriaions bill agreed o shif $1.5 billion ohe Penagons reques or unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAV, unding o OCO

unds rom he base budge, reeing up money subjec o he BCA caps.28More

recenly, in he markup o he FY 2015 deense appropriaions bill, he House and

Senae Appropriaions Commitees added $2 billion and $1 billion, respecively,

or Naional Guard equipmen in he OCO accouns, reprising wha has become

an annual radiion.29

Plenty of money in the war chest

Te high OCO reques in FY 2015, even as U.S. orces are drawing down in

Aghanisan, raises concerns ha OCO unding will coninue long afer he wars

in Aghanisan and Iraq conclude. Te Penagons budge projecions include a

placeholder o $30 billion in war unding each year hrough FY 2021. Meanwhile,

he advances o he Islamic Sae o Iraq and al-Sham, he beginning o U.S. airsrikes

in Iraq and Syria, and he coninued downward spiral o he Syrian civil war have

all been roted ou as reasons o jusiy a subsanial increase in he deense budge.

Some expers hink ha he Penagon will ask or more OCO unding, perhaps

abou $6 billion, on op o he FY 2015 reques.30Deense Secreary Hagel has said

ha he Penagons reques or war unding migh have o be adjused upward,

depending on he duraion and inensiy o he U.S. engagemen.31

ushing o add addiional war unding on op o he $58.6 billion already requesed

or FY 2015 convenienly overlooks a undamenal ruh: Tere is already pleny

o exra money in he OCO budge o cover unexpeced coningencies.

For example, he curren U.S. miliary airsrikes and oher aciviies in Iraq, esimaed

o cos abou $1.1 billion o dae, are being unded ou o unobligaed FY 2014 OCO

appropriaions. While $1.1 billion is a large amoun o money, i is small in ermso las years appropriaions o $85.3 billion in OCO undinga mere 1.3 percen.

Moreover, here is sill pleny o unobligaed FY 2014 OCO unding. Te Penagons

mos recen figures esimae ha jus 83 percen o he FY 2013 OCO appropria-

ions were obligaed by he end o ha fiscal year on Sepember 30, 2013, leaving


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an unobligaed balance o $8.3 billion. Wih he curren drawdown in Aghanisan

well underway and proporionally higher FY 2014 OCO appropriaions, here are

likely even greaer unobligaed balances or FY 2014.32

Te excess unding is also aply illusraed by he Penagons reques o ranser

nearly $2 billion in FY 2014 OCO Army O&M unds o new purposes. Moseye-rolling is he Marine Corps and Air Forces reques o use $1.1 billion o buy

eigh F-35sin heory o replace aircraf los in comba, hough he F-35 is no

ye ully operaional.33ep. odney Frelinghuysen (-NJ), he chair o he House

Appropriaions Subcommitee on Deense, rejeced his reques in a dry leter,

noing ha i violaed he 2009 OMB guidance and describing he commitees

concern ha OCO appropriaions, which are provided specifically or

ongoing comba operaions and relaed effors, are being uilized o backfill

budgeary shoralls in acquisiion programs ha have only enuous links o he

figh in Aghanisan.34Oher requess would move $1 billion, also rom he Armys

OCO O&M unds, o und humaniarian assisance or Wes Arican counriesaffeced by he Ebola virus.35By conras, he Penagons reques o move money

around o pay or he acual coss incurred in suppor o higher operaional empos

in he Middle Eas are ar more modes: $70 million or aviaion uel and aircraf

mainenance coss or he Navy; $80 million or increased surace flee mainenance;

and $28 million or special operaions orces assising he Iraqi securiy orces,

assessing ISIS, and proecing he embassy in Baghdad.36


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The FY 2015 OCO request

Te Deparmen o Deenses fiscal year 2015 Overseas Coningency Operaions

reques is $58.6 billion.37Tis includes approximaely $53.6 billion or aciviies

relaed o Operaion Enduring Freedom; $4 billion or a new Counererrorism

Parnerships Fund, which includes $500 million o arm members o he Syrian

opposiion and $500 million o sabilize Syrias neighbors; and $925 million or a

new European eassurance Iniiaive o increase U.S. miliary presence in Europe,

reassure U.S. NAO allies, and bolser U.S. European parners. A $58.6 billion,

he FY 2015 reques is abou $23 billion less han he FY 2014 OCO budge requesand is equivalen o abou 12 percen o DODs base budge reques. (see Figure 3)

Afghanistan and CENTCOM

Te FY 2015 OCO reques or approximaely $53.6 billion relaed o Aghanisan

and he U.S. Cenral Command heaer includes:

Operations and force protection:Incremenal operaional coss relaed o he

comba mission in Aghanisan, he wihdrawal o equipmen and miliary

personnel, and he dismanling o in-counry aciliies as comba operaions

decrease o he planned 4,900 roops by he end o 2015 ($11 billion)

Remaining personnel:Army and Marine Corps personnel over he planned

permanen end-srengh levels ($2.1 billion and $300 million, respecively)

In-theater support:Supporing orward presence, including suppor or

operaions in Aghanisan rom orces and unis ouside o Aghanisan, such as

regional logisics hubs; aciviies in he Horn o Arica and he Philippines;aciviies ha could be viewed as more enduring missions and hereore as

enduring coss, such as he incremenal addiional coss or ships and aircraf in

he region; he capabiliies o CENCOM; and some aciviies in he Unied

Saes, such as inelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and drone pilos

($18.1 billion)


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Hardware:epair and replacemen o war-worn equipmen and muniions

($9.2 billion)

International support programs:Aghanisan Securiy Forces Fund ($4.1

billion), coaliion suppor ($1.7 billion), unexploded ordnance removal ($300

million), and he Office o Securiy Cooperaion-Iraq ($100 million)

Other/classified:Undisclosed programs ($6.2 billion)38

For more deailed breakdowns and percenages o unding, see Figures 3 and 4 below.

FIGURE 3

FY 2015 OCO request by functional area

In billions of dollars

Source: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, United States Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Amendment Overview:Overseas Contingency Operations(U.S. Department of Defense, 2014), p. 3, available at http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/amendment/FY2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book_Amended.pdf.

Operations/force protection in Afghanistan

In-theater support outside of Afghanistan

Temporary military end strength

Investment/equipment reset

Support for coalition forces

Afghanistan Security Forces Fund, or ASFF

Classified

Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund, or CTPF,and European Reassurance Initiative, or ERI

Total OCO

FY 2015

$11

$18.1

$2.4

$9.2

$1.7

$4.1

$6.5

$4.9

$58.7

Percent

19%

31%

4%

16%

3%

7%

11%

9%

100%


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Troop strength

Te FY 2015 OCO reques would suppor a drawdown in Aghanisan rom curren

U.S. roop levels o approximaely 30,000 o 9,800 U.S. roops by he end o

December 2014. Te oal roops in he NAO Inernaional Securiy Assisance

Force, including U.S. orces, will draw down rom he curren level o abou 41,100

o 14,000 convenional roops by he end o December 2014.39O hese 14,000

roops, abou 8,000 convenional U.S. roops would join approximaely 4,000 NAO

roops, ocusing on raining and advising Aghan securiy orces. An addiional

1,800 U.S. orces will ocus on he counererrorism mission.40Tis orce level o

9,800 U.S. roops would remain in Aghanisan or he res o FY 2015hrough

Sepember 2015beore decreasing by abou hal o approximaely 4,900 U.S.

roops saioned in Kabul and Bagram by he end o December 2015. According

o DOD, he average roop srengh in Aghanisan would be 11,661 roops in FY

2015.41Tis number would all urher, o approximaely 1,000 roops by he end

o December 2016, and would consis o a residual counererrorism orce and a

normal embassy presencegenerally around 300 roops.42

However, he oal number o roops providing in-heaer suppor or he war in

Aghanisan and oher aciviy in he region is scheduled o rise slighly in FY 2015,rom 61,071 o 63,309. (see able 1) W hile he number o in-heaer suppor

personnel can be expeced o decline afer he end o comba in Aghanisan, a

large proporion o hese personnel suppor wha appear o be enduring couner-

errorism or orward presence missions. For example, hese roops include he

FIGURE 4

FY 2015 request by appropriations title

In billions of dollars

Source: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, United States Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Amendment Overview:Overseas Contingency Operations(U.S. Department of Defense, 2014), p. 3, available at http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/

defbudget/fy2015/amendment/FY2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book_Amended.pdf.

Operation and maintenance

Military personnel

Procurement

Research, development, test, and evaluation,or RDT&E, funds; military construction;revolving funds

Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund, or CTPF,and European Reassurance Initiative, or ERI

FY 2015

$42.1

$5.5

$6

$0.2

$4.9

Percent

72%

9%

10%

0%

9%


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securiy assisance advisors in Iraq and he orces a U.S. bases in Kuwai. A core

policy quesion is wheher hese are enduring missions and hereore ough o be

unded in he base budge, raher han hrough war unding.

TABLE 1

Annual Average OEF troop strength FY 2013 to FY 2015

OCO forces FY2013

FY 2014

average

FY 2015

average

Delta FY

2013 to FY

2014

Delta FY

2014 to FY

2015

Delta FY

2013 to FY

2015

Afghanistan 62,763 37,234 11,661 -41% -69% -81%

In-theater support 64,417 61,071 63,309 -5% 4% -2%

Total OEF 127,180 98,305 74,970 -23% -24% -41%

Source: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, United States Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Amendment Overview: Overseas

Contingency Operations(U.S. Department of Defense, 2014), p. 6 and Table 2, available at http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/amendment/FY2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book_Amended.pdf.

Skyrocketing operational costs

Even as roop numbers in Aghanisan decline rapidly hrough he end o 2016,

he operaional unding ha DOD has requesed declines much more slowly. Tis

requesed OCO operaional unding is increasingly divorced rom he acual coss

on he ground in Aghanisan and insead is supporing DODs broader coss in

he regioncoss ha will endure long afer all U.S. orces exi Aghanisan.

DOD has requesed abou $31.5 billion in operaional unding or OEF, including

$11 billion or operaional coss o he U.S. in-counry orces, $2.4 billion or he

Army and he Marines$2.1 billion and $300 million, respecivelyin Aghanisan

and in heaer over he planned permanen end-srengh levels, and a urher

$18.1 billion o suppor orward presence and pay or in-heaer suppor. A he

orce levels described above, his requesed $31.5 billion in operaional unding

or OEF works ou o abou $2.7 million in operaional unds per U.S. soldier on

he ground in Aghanisan in FY 2015an exraordinary amoun.43

Previewing he FY 2015 OCO reques in May, Presiden Barack Obamas Depuy

Naional Securiy Advisor ony Blinken said ha i would cos abou $20 billiono suppor 9,800 roops in Aghanisan, or abou $2 million or each roop on he

ground.44Tis requesed operaional unding per soldier in counry has sharply

risen beween FY 2013 and FY 2015. Te FY 2014 enaced OCO budge included

a oal o $50.8 billion or operaions and orce proecion in Aghanisan, end-


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srengh coss, and in-heaer suppor ouside o Aghanisan, supporing an average

orce presence o 37,234 roops. Compared wih FY 2014, he number o roops

in Aghanisan will decline by 80 percen, bu he requesed operaional unds will

decline by only 41 percen. In oher words, he number o roops is alling wice as

as as he requesed unding, more han ripling operaional unding per roop in

Aghanisan since FY 2013. (see able 2) Much o his increase in per-roop cosis because he supporing inrasrucure o DODs regional aciviieshe in-heaer

suppor cosshave no declined, even hough he number o roops on he ground

has declined sharply.

TABLE 2

Growing operational costs per troop in Afghanistan

FY 2013 FY 2014 FY 2015

Delta FY 2013

to FY 2014

Delta FY 2014

to FY 2015

Delta FY

to FY 2

Average number of troops in Afghanistan 62,763 37,234 11,661 -41% -69% -81%

Cost in-country

Operations/force protection costs in Afghanistan,

in billions of dollars$26.2 $26.2 $11 0% -58% -58%

In-country cost per troop in Afghanistan $417,400 $703,660 $943,300 69% 34% 126

Cost in-theater

Total operational costs for Afghanistan, ( total of

operations/force protection, in-theater support,

and incremental end-strength) in billions of dollars

$53.7 $50.8 $31.5 -5% -38% -41%

Total operational cost per troop in Afghanistan $855,600 $1,364,340 $2,701,310 59% 98% 216

Sources: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, United States Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2014 Budget Amendment Overview: Overseas Contingency Operations (U.S. Department of Defense, 2014), p. 6 and

available at http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/amendment/FY2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book_Amended.pdf. FY 2015 spans from October 1, 2014 through Sep30, 2015. The current withdrawal from Afghanistan calls for drawing down the current levels of approximately 32,000 troops to 14,000 by December 2014 and then maintaining 9,800 troops in Afghanistan thro

end of FY 2014. Total operational costs for Afghanistan calculated by summing function OCO budget lines Operations/force protection, and In-theatre support, and the incremental End Strength as describeFY 2015 OCO budget briefing. It excludes budget items related to the wars in Afghanistan but not directly connected to U.S. forces on the ground, including the Joint IED Defense Fund, the Military Intelligencthe Afghan National Security Fund, Coalition Support Payments, and funds to reset equipment.

While he rerogradeor removal o roops, equipmen, and aciliies rom

Aghanisanis cosly, i canno ully explain he persisence o hese unds rom

FY 2014 o FY 2015. In 2013, DOD esimaed ha he rerograde, which was

already underway in FY 2014, would cos abou $6 billion in oal.45


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Troops are drawing down, but regional costs remain high

Te FY 2015 budge reques includes $11.1 billion o suppor coningency

operaions in Aghanisan and $18.1 billion o suppor U.S. orces orward presence

in he broader regionnearly 60 percen more han he cos o operaions in

Aghanisan. Te persisence o he ongoing coss o orward presence in he greaerCENCOM area o responsibiliy, as coss specifically in Aghanisan decline

rapidly, is also refleced in he O&M reques or FY 2015. Tis porion o he FY

2015 war-unding reques shows sharply declining unds or comba operaions in

Aghanisan consisen wih a roop drawdown bu a much slower decline in unds

requesed or supporing aciviy. (see able 3)

Leaving ou he $4 billion requesed o und Aghan securiy orces, nearly 70

percenor $38 billiono he oal OCO reques is alloted or Operaion and

Mainenance unding. O his $38 billion or O&M, $26 billion, or 66 percen, is

or Operaing Forces (Budge Aciviy 1), which is he budge aciviy ha undshe coss direcly associaed wih execuing coningency operaions. Tis includes

he day-o-day coss o securiy and comba operaions, logisics, equipmen

mainenance and repair, and base operaions supporhousing and dining, among

oherso orward-deployed unis in suppor o OEF boh in Aghanisan and

hroughou he heaer. O&M is he mos ungible and flexible o he appropriaions

iles, as DOD has broad laiude o redisribue unds in his ile o differen

iems wihou requesing congressional approval.

Te Penagons reques or O&M unds o suppor Operaing Forces (Budge

Aciviy 1) has declined rom earlier years. However, his decline is spread unevenly

hroughou he comba operaions accouns. Money requesed o und comba

operaions has dropped by 60 percen o 75 percen or some iems, while unds

or comba suppor and base supporwhich are no as closely ied o comba

operaions in Aghanisanhave allen much more slowly or even increased,

despie he planned drawdown in Aghanisan in FY 2015. Some o hese suppor

expenses reflec he dismanling o bases, he desrucion o equipmen, and he

ransporaion o equipmen home. However, a a oal esimaed cos o $6 billion

and considering ha he drawdown was already underway in FY 2014he coss

o he wihdrawal rom Aghanisan canno accoun or he persisence o he bulk ohese suppor unds. For example, he Armys reques or $13 billion or O&M

ha suppors Budge Aciviy 1 comba operaions is hal o wha i was in FY

2014. Wihin his bucke, he unding requesed or land orces has allen sharply,

by 74 percen, while unding requesed or Land Force eadiness Suppor has

declined by a more modes 30 percen.


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Tis patern is also refleced in he Air Forces O&M reques or Operaing Forces

(Budge Aciviy 1). For FY 2015, he Air Force is projecing 225,500 flying hours

in suppor o combaan command, or COCOM, missions30 percen ewer han

in FY 2014bu projecs jus a 5 percen decline in OCO personnel.46Like he

oher services, he Air Forces reques or O&M unds in his caegory declines

unevenly. Te Air Forces FY 2015 reques or primary comba orces is $1.2 billion,64 percen less han in FY 2014. Hal o he Air Forces reques or O&M unds or

Operaing Forces, abou $2.4 billion, is or base suppor, depo mainenance,

aciliies susainmen, resoraion, and modernizaion. Tese requess declined by

jus 21 percen compared wih FY 2014. Te Air Force is also asking or addiional

unds in some areas, including a sligh increase or Comba Enhancemen Forces

which unds elecronic warare and droneso $803 million, and a 200 percen

increase o $92 million in unds or global command, conrol, communicaion,

and inelligence and early warning.

Te Navys OCO O&M Operaing Forces (Budge Aciviy 1) reques has he samepatern, wih sharp declines in unding requesed or is air missions and comba

suppor. However, he Navy has long considered ongoing orward presence missions

and ship mainenance coss o be OCO aciviies. In FY 2008, he Navy atribued

$875 million o he coss o humaniarian assisance missions in Cenral and Souh

America and orward presence missions by he Pacific flee saioned in Hawaii,

Japan, and Guam o he longer war agains error.47In he FY 2015 budge, he Navy

is acually asking or a 16 percen increase in mission and ship operaions unding.


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TABLE 3

Personnel levels and selected OCO funding, Operation and Maintenance,

Budget Activity 1: Operating Forces

by service, in billions of dollars

FY 2014 enacted FY 2015 request Delta

Army

Army OCO personnel 57,500 34,000 -41%

Army BA1: Operating forces total $25.1 $13.3 -47%

Army land forces $7.1 $1.8 -74%

Army land forces readiness $3.6 $1.3 -63%

Army land forces readiness support $14.5 $10.2 -30%

Air Force

Air Force OCO personnel 24,889 23,715 -5%

Air Force flight hours 321,337 225,532 -30%

Air Force BA1: Operating forces total $7.1 $4.7 -33%

Primary combat forces, Air Force $3 $1.1 -62%

Depot maintenance, Air Force $1.5 $1.1 -27%

Base support, Air Force $1.3 $1.1 -16%

Other combat operations support

programs$0.14 $0.17 20%

Combat enhancement forces or electronic

warfare and drones$0.8 $0.8 0%

Navy

Navy OCO personnel 6,408 5,143 -20%

Navy BA1: Operating forces total $8.2 $5 -39%

Mission and other flight operations:

OPTEMPO$0.08 $0.05 -36%

Combat Support Forces $1.2 $0.7 -44%

Mission and other ship operations $0.09 $1.1 16%

Ship depot maintenance $1.7 $1.9 14%

Sources: Department of the Army, Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Amended Budget Estimate, Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) Request, Operation andMaintenance, Army, Justification Book June 2014(2014), available at asafm.army.mil/Documents/OfficeDocuments/Budget/budgetmaterials/

fy15/ABE/oma.pdf; Department of the Air Force, FY 2015 Amended Budget Estimates [OCO], June 2014, Operation and Maintenance, Volume III(2014), available at www.saffm.hq.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-140709-029.pdf; Department of the Navy, Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 BudgetEstimates, Jutification of Estimates, July 2014, FY2015 O verseas Contingency Operations Request(2014), pp. 117226, available at www.finance.

hq.navy.mil/FMB/15pres/FY15_OCO_Book.pdf.


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Tese larger requess or orward presence and in-heaer suppor across he

servicesdespie an average roop srengh o jus 11,611 in Aghanisan in FY

2015 and he modes one-ime coss o he wihdrawal o people and equipmen

rom Aghanisanraises serious quesions abou he duraion and cos o U.S.

coningency operaions, orward presence, and supporing aciviies ouside

Aghanisan. I also raises concerns abou DODs abiliy o ransiion hesesupporing unds back ino he base budge as he war budge declines and ends.

How many suppor roops and how much in-heaer suppor will DOD need afer

U.S. roops have wihdrawn rom Aghanisan? Will he Penagon sill reques

OCO unds o pay or his kind o rouine orward presence and suppor?

Procurement

O he $9.2 billion requesed or he rese and reconsrucion o equipmen in he

FY 2015 OCO budge, abou $6.2 billion is or procuremen; $2.6 billion o his isclassified. O he remaining $3.4 billion, he Army and he Air Force each accoun

or abou $1.3 billion; he Navy accouns or abou $0.7 billion; he Unied Saes

Special Operaions Command accouns or $143 million; and deparmen-wide

programs accoun or he remainder.

Major procuremen iems include:

Air Force:$192 million or 12 MQ-9 eapers, $70 million or a crashed C-130J

Hercules, $114 million or Hellfire missiles, and $107 million or ausere

deploymen saion kis. Unusually, and agains Office o Managemen and

Budge guidance, i also includes $90 million or a service lie exension plan or

B-1 engines.48

Army:$379 million or he Join Improvised Explosive Device Deea Fund, $95

million or 286 medium acical vehicles, $192 million or recapializaion o

473 Heavy Expanded Mobile acical rucks, $197 million or Mine-esisan

Ambush-Proeced, or MRP, vehicle rese, and $46 million or Disribued

Common Ground Sysem-Army inelligence sysem in-heaer equipmen.49

Navy:$30 million or Cobra helicoper upgrades, $41 million or 2 Fire Scou

drones, $32 million in aircraf elecronic counermeasures, $207 million or

unexploded ordnance disposal equipmen, and $53 million or Marine Corps

procuremen.50


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Ciing ongoing coss o repair or replace equipmen damaged or lef behind in

Aghanisan, he Penagon has projeced placeholder OCO requess o abou $30

billion annually hrough FY 2019.

Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund

In addiion o he $53.6 billion reques o suppor he war in Aghanisan, he

Obama adminisraion requesed a oal o $4 billion or a new Counererrorism

Parnerships Fund, or CPF, firs described in Presiden Obamas June speech a

Wes Poin.51According o DOD, his program will uncion as a holding und,

wih pre-appropriaed monies ha, afer noiying Congress, i could ranser o

radiional DOD accouns or execuion o approved iniiaives.

As described in he FY 2015 OCO budge reques, DOD would allocae $2.5 billion

o his $4 billion or counererrorism suppor o build parner capaciy andaugmen U.S. capaciy o suppor parners in C [counererrorism] operaions.

DODs examples o poenial counererrorism suppor uses o his und include:

Parnering wih naions acing inernal hreas rom errorism in he Horn o

Arica, Norh and Wes Arica, and Yemen ($200 million o $300 million)

Increasing U.S. IS capabiliy ($470 million)

Increasing roary-wing suppor or U.S. Special Forces ($210 million)

Mariime suppor or U.S. Special Forces ($90 million)

Naval counererrorism enablers such as communicaions and logisics suppor

a ausere locaions ($100 million)

Global lif and susainmen or parners conducing counererrorism operaions

such as logisics, airlif, IS, and reueling ($150 million)52

DOD would allocae $1 billion o he remaining $1.5 billion or he Syria egionalSabilizaion Iniiaive, o which $500 million would be spen o rain and equip

veted elemens o he Syrian armed opposiion. Anoher $500 million would be

spen o sabilize Syrias neighborsIraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and urkeywhich all

ace increasing securiy hreas and a growing reugee crisis.53Te Deparmen o

Sae has also requesed $500 million in is OCO budge or a egional Sabilizaion

Iniiaive o provide humaniarian assisance o he reugees o he Syrian crisis.54


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Te final $500 million would be allocaed or crisis response.55DOD has provided

very ew deails abou wha would rigger use o his crisis-response und or wha

addiional operaions i would finance. More broadly, he bulk o hese projeced

uses are rouine coss or expendiures ha can be anicipaed and buil ino he

base budge reques. For example, more unding or helicopers or Special Forces

and long-erm counererrorism parnerships are no sudden emergencies.

European Reassurance Initiative

In he OCO budge reques, DOD has also requesed $925 million or a European

eassurance Iniiaive, or EI, inended o reassure NAO allies and bolser he

securiy and capaciy o U.S. parners. Tis und, similar o he Counererrorism

Parnerships Fund, would allow DOD o ranser monies reely wihin DOD

accouns and beween DOD and he Deparmen o Sae, afer noiying Congress.

DODs examples o poenial uses o his und include:

Increasing U.S. miliary presence in Europe, such as increased roaions o Army

brigade comba eams, augmenaion o NAOs Balic Air Policing Mission,

and increasing Navy and Marine Corps presence and mulilaeral engagemens

in he Balic and Black Seas ($440 million)

Increasing U.S. paricipaion in exercises and raining wih NAO and parner

counries ($75 million)

Improving inrasrucure in Europe, including airfields in Easern Europe and

raining ranges and operaions ceners ($250 million)

Enhancing he preposiioning o U.S. equipmen in Europe ($125 million)

Building parner capaciy in newer NAO allies and non-NAO parners such

as Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine ($35 million)56

Similar o he proposed Counererrorism Parnerships Fund, he aciviies hahe EI would und are no emergency expendiures, despie ussias aggression

in Ukraine and an increased ocus on he NAO alliance. Moreover, his nearly

$1 billion reques o suppor NAO securiy in Europe sands in sark conras

o he anemic deense spending and lack o coordinaed capabiliy among our

NAO parners.


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Congressional action for FY 2015

Te House passed DOD appropriaions bill H.. 4870 on June 20, 2014. I includes

$79.4 billion or OCOhe same amoun as he placeholder in he presidens FY

2015 budge reques.57Te Senae Appropriaions Subcommitee on Deense

considered he bill in July, afer he deailed OCO budge reques or $58.6 billionwas submited o Congress on June 27. Te Senae repor appropriaes $59.7 billion

or OCO, an increase o nearly $1 billion rom he adminisraions reques. Te

Senae appropriaors allocaed $1.9 billion or he Counererrorism Parnerships

Fund and $1 billion in he O&M accouns or counererrorism parnershipsa

oal o $1.1 billion less or counererrorism parnerships han requesedwhile

increasing unding or he EI by $75 million o make i an even $1 billion. Te

Senae appropriaors also moved $1 billion o unding in he Naional Guard and

eserve equipmen accoun or equipmen modernizaion rom he base budge

o he OCO budge.58Floor ime or he Senae deense appropriaions bill and

he deense policy bill remains uncerain.

Wih he FY 2015 appropriaions bill salled, Congress passed a coninuing

resoluion ha unds all agencies a heir FY 2014 levels hrough December 11, 2014.

A he FY 2014 OCO appropriaion level o $86.7 billion annually, his amouns

o abou $20 billion in war unding beore he coninuing resoluion expires

more han one-hird o he oal FY 2015 reques.59


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Policy recommendations

As Congress considers he fiscal year 2015 Deparmen o Deense appropriaions

bill, i mus execue is oversigh responsibiliy over DODs war unding.

First, Congress should ensure that FY 2015 Overseas and Contingency

Operations funds are tied directly to the costs of the war in Afghanistan and

Operation Enduring Freedom and push DOD to return permanent costs to the

base budget.

A $58.6 billion, he FY 2015 war-unding proposal is a big reques or wha is

becoming a much smaller conflic. As he war in Aghanisan draws down o jus

9,800 roops by he end o his yearan 80 percen roop reducion rom las

yearhe war-unding reques is jus 30 percen smaller han las year. Te

operaional cos per roop on he ground has more han ripled since FY 2013, o

abou $2.7 million per roop in Aghanisan. Much o his increase is because he

coss o DODs regional aciviies and suppor uncions have held seady or even

increased, despie he drawdown in Aghanisan. Te persisence o high OCO

requess or his kind o orward presence and suppor raises serious quesions

abou he role o hese uncions afer he end o he war in Aghanisan and how

hey will be paid or in he base budge. Congress mus scruinize he war budge

o make sure ha i unds only aciviies direcly relaed o he war in Aghanisan

and oher ongoing operaions, no enduring rouine coss.

DOD has used unclear budge guidance and poor financial managemen o move

subsanial ongoing coss rom he base budge ino he war budge. However,

DOD has announced ha i will release guidance on how o migrae aciviies

currenly unded in OCO o he base budge his all, in ime o ormulae he FY

2016 budge reques.60

Congress mus push DOD o make sure ha his guidanceis acually robus. Enduring coss, such as unding or U.S. Cenral Command; he

Navys orward presence missions; surveillance capabiliies; and rouine levels o

operaions, including ongoing Special Forces operaions, should be unded in he

FY 2016 base budge, no OCO.


28/37


Second, Congress and DOD must both resist the temptation to continue using

the OCO budget as a safety valve for the base defense budget under the

Budget Control Act caps.

Under he BCA caps, he base deense budge will rise slighly aser han inflaion

hrough FY 2021, o abou $554 billion in odays dollars. Te deense budge inha year will be higher han he FY 2007 base budge in inflaion-adjused dollars

and nearly $100 billion higher han he deense budge was on 9/11. However,

boh Congress and he Penagon have avoided he BCA caps on he base budge

by shifing unding rom he base budge o he uncapped OCO budge. For example,

shorly afer he BCA cap passed, Congress moved $1.5 billion or unmanned

aerial vehicles rom he base budge o OCO, reeing up $1.5 billion under he

base budge BCA caps.

More recenly, Depuy Secreary o Deense ober Work oulined how OCO

could become a more blaan end-run around he BCA caps. While acknowledgingha here is a lo o money in he OCO ha should be in he base budge, wih

Congress opposed o DODs proposed cus in he base budge, moving hese unds

back o he base budge would run up agains he BCA caps. Work said ha he

mos likely opion was ha OCO will coninue ino he uure, and well esablish

he rules o do i.61Using OCO o evade he BCA caps flagranly disregards he

inen o he BCA: o keep deense spending wihin U.S. naional means. aher

han using OCO or budgeary sleigh o hand, DOD and Congress mus acually

weigh he appropriae rade-offs wihin he deense budge caps, or revisi he

quesions o appropriae ederal revenue and spending ha led o he Budge

Conrol Ac o 2011 and he deense and nondeense caps.

Third, OCO should not become a permanent emergency fund.

DOD has used lefover money rom FY 2014 OCO appropriaions, nominally all

earmarked o cover coss relaed o he war in Aghanisan, o pay or he coss o he

campaign agains ISISup o $1.1 billion so ar.62Wih abou $8.3 billion o OCO

unding lef over a he end o FY 2013 and he ongoing drawdown in Aghanisan,

here is likely o be even more money lef over rom FY 2014 appropriaions. For

FY 2015, DOD has asked or $4 billion or a Counererrorism Parnerships Fundincluding $500 million or nonspecific crisis responseand nearly $1 billion or

a European eassurance Iniiaive. Tese wo unds are being characerized as open

ended and able o und a range o acions. However, mos o he hings DOD has

said i migh do wih hese unds are long-erm aciviies ha belong in he base


29/37


budge. For example, parnering wih naions ha ace hreas rom errorism;

improving inelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and expanding helicoper

and mariime suppor capaciy or U.S. orces are rouine coss ha should be

unded in he base budge. Overall, OCO is drifing oward being a permanen

emergency slush und. Beore OCO, he Penagon would reques emergency

supplemenal appropriaions o pay or he coss o responding o a crisis.

Fourth, Congress must wind down enduring OCO funding in order to better

exercise its authorizing authority and oversight role for military action.

Te curren discussion abou he need or Presiden Obama o seek congressional

auhorizaion or ongoing miliary acion agains he Islamic Sae o Iraq and

al-Sham, amid debae abou he scope and purpose o U.S. involvemen, highlighs

he cenral consiuional role o Congress in auhorizing and overseeing miliary

acion. Currenly, he miliary acions agains ISIS are being paid or wih FY 2014

OCO unding. Te Penagon esimaes he cos a abou $7 million o $10 millionper day and a abou $1.1 billion since he beginning o U.S. miliary involvemen

in mid-Junea significan invesmen o U.S. resources.63Deense Secreary Hagel

has said ha DOD may need o increase he FY 2015 OCO reques, depending

on he duraion and inensiy o U.S. involvemen.64However, DOD had abou

$8.3 billion in lefover OCO money a he end o FY 2013. Tere is likely o be

even greaer unds remaining rom FY 2014 appropriaions because o he urher

drawdown o U.S. roops in Aghanisan. Tis pool o lefover OCO money has

allowed he Penagon o engage ISIS wihou having o ask Congress or specific

auhorizaion or unding. Furhermore, i has le Congress sidesep open debae

on he scope, duraion, and sraegy o he figh agains ISIS.

Congressional oversigh o hese unding requess and debae abou he broader

quesions o he use o miliary orce in he region is essenial. Winding down he

OCO unding means ha DOD would have o ask Congress o und miliary

acion, providing anoher avenue or congressional oversigh alongside he War

Powers Ac. By conras, a permanen coningency und ha DOD can ap a-will

risks urher erosion o congressional prerogaives and a de aco expansion o

presidenial war powers.


30/37


Finally, Congress needs to have the tough conversations about U.S. defense

resources, commitments, investment priorities, and trade-offs.

Te Penagon and Congress mus ace he ac ha hey need o make choices

abou how o spend he naions deense dollars. As he deense budge draws

down rom he record highs o FY 2009 hrough FY 2012, hey will need o makehard choices o prioriize he invesmens needed o craf a orce or he coming

decades. Te persisence o high OCO budges allows he Penagon and Congress

o avoid making ough choices wihin he base deense budge. According o

Depuy Secreary o Deense Work, Congress avoidance o necessary budge cus

has pu DOD $70 billion in he red in he coming years.65

Having all o our enduring deense needs in he base budge makes evaluaing

deense resources, commimens, invesmen prioriies, and rade-offs easier. Te

curren have-i-all approach can be seen in conversaions abou he upcoming

huge coss o he Penagons crown jewels o acquisiions, including he F-35, hereplacemen class o ballisic missile submarines, and he long-range srike bomber,

which risk crowding ou oher iems in he deense budge by he 2020s. Using

OCO unding o pospone hese choices does our miliaryand our naional

securiya disservice.


31/37


Conclusion

Allowing he Deparmen o Deense o coninue o have a separae war budge is

boh a fiscal and sraegic misake. Financially, he ree flow o war unding has

decimaed any preense o fiscal discipline a he Penagon. Te dual-budge

sysem has obscured he rue coss o he wars in Iraq and Aghanisan. Unclear

budge guidance and poor financial managemen have allowed DOD o pay or

subsanial enduring coss wih war unding raher han he base budge, urher

muddying he waers. Now, he war unding is being used as a saey valve,

allowing DOD and Congress o circumven he caps on deense spending pu inplace by he Budge Conrol Ac o 2011.

Sraegically, he abundance o war unding allowed he Penagon and Congress o

preend ha he deense budge would remain effecively unlimied, despie he

BCA caps. Te uncapped OCO unding has allowed he DOD o sidesep or

pospone difficul decisions abou U.S. deense resources, commimens, inves-

men prioriies, and he necessary rade-offs. Having all o he Unied Saes

enduring deense needs in he base budge, wih he associaed deailed budge

jusificaion documens, makes weighing he opions easier. Using OCO unding

o kick he can down he road has no done our miliary any avors.

Te use o exising fiscal year 2014 OCO appropriaions o pay or he curren

campaign agains he Islamic Sae o Iraq and al-Sham has allowed Congress and

he public o sidesep imporan quesions abou he use and auhorizaion o U.S.

miliary orce. A permanen coningency und would urher erode congressional

prerogaives and de aco expansion o presidenial war powers.

Is ime o wind down he curren war unding. Congress needs o push DOD o

reurn long-erm coss o he base budge. Excepional coss and new crises can behandled hrough requess or emergency unding, as was he case beore he

global war on error.


32/37


About the authors

Katherine Blakeleyis a esearch Assisan a he Cener or American Progress.

Her work ocuses on he deense budge and naional securiy. Prior o joining

CAP, Blakeley was a deense analys a he Congressional esearch Service,

working on deense budge and miliary policy issues or Congress. Blakeley isalso a docoral candidae in poliical science a he Universiy o Caliornia, Sana

Cruz, where her disseraion ocuses on congressional deense policymaking. She

received her bachelors degree rom Vassar College.

Lawrence J. Korbis a Senior Fellow a he Cener or American Progress and an

adjunc proessor a Georgeown Universiy. Korb previously served as assisan

secreary o deense or manpower, reserve affairs, insallaions, and logisics rom

1981 hrough 1985. In ha posiion, he adminisered approximaely 70 percen o

he deense budge. For his service in ha posiion, Korb was awarded he

Deparmen o Deenses Medal or Disinguished Public Service.

Prior o joining CAP, Korb held senior posiions a he Council on Foreign

elaions, he Cener or Public Policy Educaion, he Brookings Insiuion, and

he American Enerprise Insiue.

Korb served on acive duy or our years as a naval fligh officer and reired rom

he Naval eserve wih he rank o capain. He received his Ph.D. in poliical

science rom he Sae Universiy o New York a Albany and has held ull-ime

eaching posiions a he Universiy o Dayon, he Coas Guard Academy, and he

Naval War College.


33/37


Acknowledgments

Te auhors are graeul o an anonymous reviewer or a horough examinaion o

an earlier version o his repor. Te auhors would especially like o hank CAP

inern Alvaro Genie or his diligen and careul work on he daa and analysis ha

wen ino his repor and or his close ediing o he writen produc.


34/37


Endnotes

1 Karen DeYoung, Obama to leave 9,800 U.S. troops inAfghanistan, The Washington Post, May 27, 2014,available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-to-leave-9800-us-troops-in-afghanistan-senior-official-says/2014/05/27/57f37e72-e5b2-11e3-a86b-362fd5443d19_story.html.

2 Tony Bertuca, Pentagon Ponders Budget Options forObamas New ISIS Strategy, InsideDefense.com,September 9, 2014, available at http://insidedefense.com/201409092481043/Inside-Defense-Daily-News/DefenseAlert/pentagon-ponders-budget-options-for-obamas-new-isis-strategy/menu-id-61.html.

3 Tony Bertuca, DOD Planning to Release OCO BudgetMigration Guidance This Fall, InsideDefense.com,August 14, 2014, available at http://insidedefense.com/Inside-the-Pentagon/Inside-the-Pentagon-08/14/2014/dod-planning-to-release-oco-budget-migration-guidance-this-fall/menu-id-80.html.

4 Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, United StatesDepartment of Defense Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Request:Overview(U.S. Department of Defense, March 2014),available at http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/fy2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdf.

5 Government Accountability Office, Guidance Neededto Transition U.S. Central Commands Cost to the BaseBudget, GAO-14-440, Report to CongressionalCommittees, June 2014, available at http://www.gao.gov/assets/670/663939.pdf.

6 Robert O. Work, Testimony before the House ArmedServices Committee, Fiscal Year 2015 OCO BudgetRequest, July 16, 2014, available at http://www.defense.gov/Speeches/Speech.aspx?SpeechID=1869.

7 Richard Sisk, Iraq Airstrikes Paid for by Militarys OCOBudget, Military.com, August 13, 2014, available athttp://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/08/13/iraq-airstrikes-paid-for-by-militarys-oco-budget.html.

8 Lolita C. Baldor, Pentagon: Up to $1.1 B cost for Iraq,

Syria, Military Times, October 6, 2014. http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20141006/NEWS05/310060058.

9 Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, United StatesDepartment of Defense Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Amendment:Overview, Overseas Contingency Operations(U.S.Department of Defense, June 2014), available athttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/amendment/FY2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book_Amended.pdf.

10 Bertuca, Pentagon Ponders Budget Options forObamas New ISIS Strategy.

11 Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, United StatesDepartment of Defense Fiscal Year 2015 BudgetAmendment: Overview, Overseas Contingency Operations(U.S. Department of Defense, June 2014).

12 Bertuca, DOD Planning to Release OCO BudgetMigration Guidance This Fall.

13 Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act for Recoveryfrom and Response to Terrorist Attacks on the UnitedStates,Public Law 107-38, 107th Cong., 1st sess.(September 18, 2001).

14 This figure includes the Pentagons requests for thebase defense budget and Overseas and ContingencyOperations funding. It does not include the dead-on-arrival request for an additional $26 billion for defenseas part of the Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative.Figures from the fiscal year 2015 Department of Defensebudget request are available at Office of the UnderSecretary of Defense, United States Department of DefenseFiscal Year 2015 Budget Amendment: O verview, OverseasContingency Operations (June U.S. Department of Defense,2014). Figures were converted to constant FY 2015 dollarsusing deflation factors from Office of Management andBudget, Historical Tables, Table 10.1, available athttp://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicals(last accessed August 2014).

15 Government Accountability Office, Global War onTerrorism: DOD Needs to Take Action to EncourageFiscal Discipline and Optimize the Use of Tools toImprove GWOT Cost Reporting, GAO-08-68, Report toCongressional Committees, November 2007, availableat http://www.gao.gov/assets/270/269013.pdf.

16 Stephen Daggett, Military Operations: Precedents forFunding Contingency Operations in Regular or inSupplemental Appropriations Bills(Washington:Congressional Research Service, 2006), available athttp://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS22455.pdf.

17 Government Accountability Office, Global War onTerrorism: DOD Needs to Take Action to EncourageFiscal Discipline and Optimize the Use of Tools toImprove GWOT Cost Reporting.

18 Ibid.

19 Government Accountability Office, Global War onTerrorism: DOD Needs to More Accurately Capture andReport the Costs of Operation Iraqi Freedom andOperation Enduring Freedom, GAO-08-68, Report toCongressional Committees, November 2009, availableat http://www.gao.gov/assets/270/269013.pdf.

20 Amy Belasco, The Cost of Iraq, Afghanistan, and OtherGlobal War on Terror Operations Since 9/11

(Washington: Congressional Research Service, 2011),available at http://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33110.pdf;

The authors of this report draw on Belascos analysis ofthe various appropriations bills from 2001 to 2011.

21 Figures from Office of the Under Secretary of Defense,United States Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2015Budget Request: Overview(U.S. Department of Defense,March 2014); Office of the Under Secretary of Defense,United States Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2015Budget Amendment: Overview, Overseas ContingencyOperations(U.S. Department of Defense, June 2014). Figures were converted to constant FY 2015 dollarsusing deflation factors from Office of Management andBudget, Historical Tables, Table 10.1.

22 Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, United StatesDepartment of Defense Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Request:Overview(U.S. Department of Defense, March 2014);

Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, United StatesDepartment of Defense Fiscal Year 2015 Budget Amendment:Overview, Overseas Contingency Operations(U.S.Department of Defense, June 2014).
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-to-leave-9800-us-troops-in-afghanistan-senior-official-says/2014/05/27/57f37e72-e5b2-11e3-a86b-362fd5443d19_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-to-leave-9800-us-troops-in-afghanistan-senior-official-says/2014/05/27/57f37e72-e5b2-11e3-a86b-362fd5443d19_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-to-leave-9800-us-troops-in-afghanistan-senior-official-says/2014/05/27/57f37e72-e5b2-11e3-a86b-362fd5443d19_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-to-leave-9800-us-troops-in-afghanistan-senior-official-says/2014/05/27/57f37e72-e5b2-11e3-a86b-362fd5443d19_story.htmlhttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/fy2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdfhttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/fy2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdfhttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/fy2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdfhttp://www.gao.gov/assets/670/663939.pdfhttp://www.gao.gov/assets/670/663939.pdfhttp://www.defense.gov/Speeches/Speech.aspx?SpeechID=1869http://www.defense.gov/Speeches/Speech.aspx?SpeechID=1869http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/08/13/iraq-airstrikes-paid-for-by-militarys-oco-budget.htmlhttp://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/08/13/iraq-airstrikes-paid-for-by-militarys-oco-budget.htmlhttp://www.militarytimes.com/article/20141006/NEWS05/310060058http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20141006/NEWS05/310060058http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/amendment/FY2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book_Amended.pdfhttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/amendment/FY2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book_Amended.pdfhttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/amendment/FY2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book_Amended.pdfhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicalshttp://www.gao.gov/assets/270/269013.pdfhttp://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS22455.pdfhttp://www.gao.gov/assets/270/269013.pdfhttp://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33110.pdfhttp://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RL33110.pdfhttp://www.gao.gov/assets/270/269013.pdfhttp://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/RS22455.pdfhttp://www.gao.gov/assets/270/269013.pdfhttp://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicalshttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/amendment/FY2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book_Amended.pdfhttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/amendment/FY2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book_Amended.pdfhttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/amendment/FY2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book_Amended.pdfhttp://www.militarytimes.com/article/20141006/NEWS05/310060058http://www.militarytimes.com/article/20141006/NEWS05/310060058http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/08/13/iraq-airstrikes-paid-for-by-militarys-oco-budget.htmlhttp://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/08/13/iraq-airstrikes-paid-for-by-militarys-oco-budget.htmlhttp://www.defense.gov/Speeches/Speech.aspx?SpeechID=1869http://www.defense.gov/Speeches/Speech.aspx?SpeechID=1869http://www.gao.gov/assets/670/663939.pdfhttp://www.gao.gov/assets/670/663939.pdfhttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/fy2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdfhttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/fy2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdfhttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/fy2015_Budget_Request_Overview_Book.pdfhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-to-leave-9800-us-troops-in-afghanistan-senior-official-says/2014/05/27/57f37e72-e5b2-11e3-a86b-362fd5443d19_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-to-leave-9800-us-troops-in-afghanistan-senior-official-says/2014/05/27/57f37e72-e5b2-11e3-a86b-362fd5443d19_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-to-leave-9800-us-troops-in-afghanistan-senior-official-says/2014/05/27/57f37e72-e5b2-11e3-a86b-362fd5443d19_story.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/obama-to-leave-9800-us-troops-in-afghanistan-senior-official-says/2014/05/27/57f37e72-e5b2-11e3-a86b-362fd5443d19_story.html


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23 Budget Control Act caps from DODs share of the defenseBCA caps were estimated at 95.5 percent, followingprevious application. See Congressional Budget Office,Long-Term Implications of the 2014 Future Years DefenseProgram (2013), Figure 1, available at http://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/44683-FYDP.pdf. Conversion intoFY 2015 constant dollars using deflation factors fromOffice of Management and Budget, Historical Tables,

Table 10.1.

24 Ibid.

25 Sydney J. Freedberg Jr., Army 2013 Budget MagicallyDrops 50 Thou Soldiers; Aviation Thrives, BreakingDefense, February 13, 2012, available athttp://breakingdefense.com/2012/02/army-2013-budget-magically-drops-50-thou-soldiers-aviation-thri/.

26 Government Accountability Office, DefenseHeadquarters:Guidance Needed to Transition U.S.Central Commands Costs to the Base Budget.

27 The Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organiza-tion/Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Fund wasfunded at $1.4 billion in FY 2013, $900 million in FY 2014,and requested $380 million in FY 2015. For moreinformation, see Office of the Under Secretary of Defense,FY 2015 DoD Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO)Budget Amendment (U.S. Department of Defense, June2014), available athttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/fy2015/amendment/

FY15_OCO_Congressional_Briefing.pdf.

28 Richard Mullins, Final Defense Spending Bill Let OCOBe OCO,Aviation Week, January 12, 2012, available athttp://aviationweek.com/defense/final-defense-spending-bill-let-oco-be-oco.

29 U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommit-tee on Department of Defense, FY15 DefenseSubcommittee Markup Bill Summary, Press release,July 15, 2014, available at http://www.appropriations.senate.gov/news/fy15-defense-subcommittee-mark-up-bill-summary.

30 Bertuca, Pentagon Ponders Budget Options forObamas New ISIS Strategy.

31 Ibid.

32 DOD calculates the costs of war in a report releasedafter the close of each fiscal year. FY 2013 is the mostrecent year for which fig ures are available. For moreinformation, see U.S. Department of Defense,Department of Defense (DoD) Estimate of Cost of WarReport As of September 30, 2013 (2013), available atwww.dod.gov/pubs/foi/logistics_material_readiness/acq_bud_fin/12F0791_DOC_06_FY2013-Cost-of-WarExecutionReports.pdf.

33 U.S. Department of Defense, Reprogramming Action Prior Approval: Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO)Request(2014), available athttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/execution/reprogramming/fy2014/prior1415s/14-13_PA_OCO_Request.pdf.

34 Letter from Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen to MichaelMcCord, September 19, 2014.

35 U.S. Department of Defense, Reprogramming Action Prior Approval: August 2014 Prior Approval Request(2014),available at http://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/execution/reprogramming/fy2014/prior1415s/14-14_PA_August_2014_Request.pdf; U.S. Department of Defense, ReprogrammingAction Prior Approval: Additional Ebola Response(2014), available athttp://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/execution/reprogramming/fy2014/prior1415s/14-17_PA_Ebola_Response.pdf.

36 U.S. Department of Defense, Reprogramming Action PriorApproval: Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) Request.

37 DODs fiscal year runs from October 1 through September30. For example, FY 2015 runs from October 1, 2014,through September 30, 2015.

38 Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, United StatesDepartment of Defense Fiscal Year 2015 BudgetAmendment: Overview, Overseas Contingency Operations(U.S. Department of Defense, June 2014).

39 Afghanistan International Security Assistance Force,Troop numbers and contributions, available at http://www.isaf.nato.int/troop-numbers-and-contributions/index.php(last accessed September 2014).

40 Karen DeYoung, Obamas Afghan plan is not awithdrawal but a transition, U.S. commander says, TheWashington Post, June 4, 2014, available athttp://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/obamas-afghan-plan-is-not-a-withdrawal-but-a-transition-us-commander-says/2014/06/04/96288de0-ebde-11e3-b98c-72ce-f4a00499_story.html.

41 Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, United StatesDepartment of Defense Fiscal Year 2015 BudgetAmendment: Overview, Overseas Contingency Operations(U.S. Department of Defense, June 2014), Figure 2.

42 DeYoung, Obama to leave 9,800 U.S. troops in

Afghanistan.

43 Todd Harrison, Chaos and Uncertainty: The FY 2014Defense Budget and Beyond (Washington: Center forStrategic and Budgetary Assessments,2014), availableat http://www.csbaonline.org/publications/2013/10/chaos-and-uncertainty-the-fy-14-defense-budget-and-beyond/.Authors calculations using functional budgetfigures from the FY 2015 OCO budget request. Defensebudget analyst Todd Harrison has tracked the amountof money requested in the total Afghanistan OCOrequest against the number of troops deployed inAfghanistan from FY 2008 through FY 2014, findingthat the total requested OCO dollars per troop haverisen from a fairly consistent $1.3 million per troop fromFY 2008 through FY 2013 to nearly $2.1 million pertroop in the FY 2014 request. Using that same methodfor the FY 2015 request, DOD has requested more than$4.2 million per troop. However, this method includes

in the per-troop calculation funds that are relativelyindependent of the actual number of U.S. troops inAfghanistan, such as the Afghan Security Forces Fund.

44 Tony Blinken, Deputy National Security Advisor,interview on CNN, May 27, 2014.

45 The Economist, The Big Retrograde, April 27, 2013,available at http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21576720-logisticians-face-practical-and-geopolitical-mess-relish-big-retrograde.

46 Department of the Air Force, FY 2015 Amended BudgetEstimates: Operation and Maintenance, Air Force, VolumeIII(U.S. Department of Defense, June 2014), available athttp://www.saffm.hq.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-140709-029.pdf.

47 Government Accountability Office, Global War on

Terrorism: DOD Needs to More Accurately Capture andReport the Costs of Operation Iraqi Freedom andOperation Enduring Freedom, GAO-09-302, Report toCongressional Committees, March 2009, available athttp://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-09-302.

48 Department of the Air Force, Department of DefenseFiscal Year (FY) 2015 Amended Budget Estimates: Justifica-tion Book Volume 1 of 1, Aircraft Procurement, Air Force(U.S. Department of Defense, June 2014), available at
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