The budget request for DoD Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) for FY2015 is $58.6 billion, the White House announced late last week. The enacted level of OCO funding in FY2014 was 85.3 billion.
The amended budget request submitted by the president is $20.8 billion less than the $79.4 billion funding placeholder included in the budget request sent to Congress in March.
The OCO request will fund $54.3 billion for DoD costs for Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan, $0.3 billion for transition activities in Iraq, $4 billion for the Counterterrorism Partnership Fund (CTPF), and almost $1 billion for the European Reassurance Initiative (ERI).
Based on the president’s recently-announced redeployment decision, U.S troop levels in Afghanistan will decline to 9,800 by the end of December 2014, with further decrease to 5,000 by December 2015. Average troop levels in Afghanistan will decline from 37,234 in FY2014 to 11,661 in FY2015.
However, the DoD costs for war-related support will not decline proportionately, according to DoD justification material. DoD’s forward presence around the Middle East in support of OEF will not decline significantly in FY2015. Costs for transporting troops and equipment back to the United States and to retrograde equipment and reset the force will continue, as will costs to close bases, conduct associated environmental remediation, and to dispose of unexploded ordnance. Continued costs are also necessary to meet the demands for high-end Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and to support the Afghan National Security Forces, according to DoD.
The OCO request includes $11 billion for operations and force protection in Afghanistan. These costs support special pays and the pay and allowances for mobilized Reserve Component personnel, deployed civilian personnel costs, ground combat and aviation operating costs, C4I, and supplies and sustainment costs.
The funding request also will provide $18.1 billion for in-theater support outside of Afghanistan. Forces providing this support include afloat and expeditionary forces, engineers and fire support, and other capabilities that support troops operating in Afghanistan. In addition to OPTEMPO costs and transportation, this funding includes maintenance and contractor logistics and Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) services, fuel losses, and fuel transportation.
Investment and equipment reset costs of $9.2 billion in the request will fund the replenishment of ammunition and missiles expended in combat ($0.6 billion), replacement of equipment that was lost in combat ($0.3 billion) and worn out equipment for which repair was not considered economical ($1.4 billion). This reset request also includes $6.6 billion to repair tactical vehicles, radios, and support equipment at the depot or field level. Another $0.3 billion will fund the reset of force protection equipment, including communication and electronic, physical security, and aircraft survivability equipment.
Non-DoD and other classified costs totaling $6.5 billion, funding for the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund ($4.1 billion) for training and operations, coalition support ($1.7 billion) to reimburse key coalition partners and provide support for specialized training and equipment, and $4 billion for the Counter Terrorism Partnership Fund (CTPF) account for most of the remaining $4 billion.
