Military services scale back their wish lists to Congress

In a continued show of budgetary restraint, the military services sent Capitol Hill relatively modest wish lists totaling $1.8 billion for weapons programs that did not make the cut for the Obama administration's fiscal 2011 defense budget request.

The lists of unfunded requirements or priorities, requested from each of the services by House Armed Services ranking member Howard (Buck) McKeon, D-Calif., have been shrinking sharply in recent years as Defense Secretary Robert Gates has called on military officials to end backdoor lobbying efforts to secure funding for prized programs.

As recently as 2008, the military's wish lists submitted shortly after release of the Defense Department's fiscal 2009 budget request exceeded $30 billion -- $18.75 billion of which came from the Air Force alone. Last year, the services identified $3.4 billion worth of unfunded priorities.

Rather than inundate Congress with a request for a slew of combat aircraft, ships and other high-priced goods, the services have opted to trim their lists to include a handful of less-expensive items, such as ground vehicles, spare parts and funds for depot maintenance.

The Air Force, whose unfunded requirements totaled $1.9 billion last year, whittled its wish list down to $548 million this year. The list includes $337.2 million to overhaul aging aircraft, including bombers, cargo aircraft and tankers.

The Air Force list also includes $57.1 million to buy ground vehicles and other support equipment for the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. The funding will, among other things, replace 674 vehicles -- including Humvees, ambulances and snow plows -- that have exceeded their service life.

Meanwhile, the Navy's total unfunded list came to $532 million, a slight increase from the $395 million in needs the service identified last year. Aviation spare parts, totaling $423 million, topped the Navy's latest list because of operational demands on its V-22 Osprey, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, E/A-18G Growler, E-2C/D Hawkeye fleets.

Navy officials also want an additional $74 million for aviation depot maintenance and $35 million for ship depot maintenance.

The items on the Navy's unfunded list "are stressed by increased operational tempo, especially in support of operations in Afghanistan, Chief of Naval Operations Gary Roughead wrote in a Feb. 12 letter to McKeon.

The Army itemized $358.7 million in its latest list, compared to a $952 million in unfunded requirements submitted last year.

The largest item is $133.6 million for Patriot missiles, followed by $55 million for the Tactical Local Area Network and peripheral systems for information operations. Army officials want an additional $51.2 million for the Defense Advanced GPS Receiver and $47.1 million for the Light Weight Counter-Mortar Radar.

In a Feb. 19 letter to McKeon, Army Chief of Staff George Casey said the items on the list could "provide added value to commanders in the field, improve overall readiness and be obligated in fiscal 2011."

As with the Navy, the Marine Corps' wish list also grew, from $188.3 million last year to $351 million this year. Its list, which has typically been the smallest from the services, includes $79 million for one KC-130J tanker, $56 million to buy two UC-35 extended range passenger and cargo aircraft, and $33 million to buy three UC-12W light-lift aircraft.