Analysis of FY2009 Defense Appropriations in the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act (CR) for FY2009

The Center’s Travis Sharp today put out his Analysis of FY2009 Defense Appropriations in the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act (CR) for FY2009. Included below are the summary and the highlights and funding provisions relating to nuclear weapons and nonproliferation issues. The full analysis is available here.

SUMMARY

With members of Congress eager to leave town for the campaign trail, and Fiscal Year (FY) 2009 starting on October 1, Congress slapped together a consolidated appropriations package that includes several appropriations bills and a continuing resolution (known as a ‘CR’) all rolled into one. A CR is designed to fund programs at the previous fiscal year’s levels, usually on a temporary basis, in order to keep the government running. The CR in the consolidated package will fund government operations from October 1, 2008 until March 6, 2009, at which point Congress will have to appropriate more money to keep government programs running through the remainder of FY2009.

The consolidated package includes defense appropriations for FY2009. The package provides $487.7 billion in total defense funding, $4 billion less than the administration’s request but 6.2 percent above the FY2008 funding level. The package does not appropriate any funding for ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. A FY2009 “bridge” supplemental war funding package of $68.5 billion was already appropriated by Congress in May-June 2008.

The House of Representatives passed the consolidated appropriations package on September 24, 2008. The Senate is expected to pass it in the days ahead.

HIGHLIGHTS

Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) “Nunn-Lugar” – Appropriates $434 million, $20 million above the administration’s request, for the Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) or “Nunn-Lugar” program, which secures vulnerable fissile material in Russia and states of the former Soviet Union.

Prompt Global Strike – Reduces the administration request from $117.6 million to $74.6 million, a cut of $43 million. Prompt Global Strike is an initiative to place conventional warheads atop missiles traditionally used for nuclear warheads. The bill language says the reduction was taken from the alternative re-entry system.

Focus on Near-Term Missile Defense Programs – Lamenting the fact that funding for near-term missile defense programs must be sacrificed each year “to pay for the development of futuristic missile defense programs,” the bill cuts: $70 million from Multiple Kill Vehicles (to $285 million); $16 million from the Airborne Laser; $10 million from the Space Test Bed; and $30 million from the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) follow-on program. As a consolation prize for these cuts, the bill provides $5 million for a study on space-based interceptors. Reflecting its preference for near-term capabilities, the bill provides an additional $120 million for Ground-Based Missile Defense (GMD), AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), and Theater High Area Altitude Defense (THAAD).

European Missile Defense – The bill provides $467 million for missile defense in Europe. The $467 million total is broken down as follows: $363.3 million for the development and testing of the two-stage interceptors and interceptor site planned for Poland; $76.8 million for the European Midcourse Radar (EMR) planned for the Czech Republic; and $27.1 million for the European Global Engagement Manager and U.S. Communications for the sites. The bill does not provide any funding for the European Based Forward Radar (AN-TPY-2) since a location has not been selected yet for the site. (For more information, see the Center's analysis)

Pattern of Missile Defense Agency Problems – The bill states: “As one of the largest research, development, test and evaluation programs in the Department of Defense, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has established a pattern of cost, schedule and performance problems. Tests were delayed or cancelled in fiscal years 2006, 2007 and 2008 and it is not unreasonable to assume that some of the tests planned for fiscal year 2009 will likely slip into subsequent fiscal years.”

FUNDING PROVISIONS

Total Funding (Budget Function 050 excluding war funding)
Administration request: $491.7 billion
Consolidated package: $487.7 billion

DOD Cooperative Threat Reduction Program ("Nunn-Lugar")
Administration request: $414 million
Consolidated package: $434 million

MAJOR WEAPONS SYSTEMS

Ballistic Missile Defense (Missile Defense Agency only)
Administration request: $8.9 billion
Consolidated package: $8.7 billion

KEY POLICY PROVISIONS

Incentives for Downblending Highly Enriched Uranium (HEU) – States as U.S. policy that, if Russia agrees to additional HEU downblending after completion of the Russian HEU Agreement, Russia should be permitted to import 4 kilograms of Lowly Enriched Uranium (LEU) per calendar year for every 1 kilogram of HEU that was downblended in the preceding calendar year.

Click here for the full analysis.