The Pentagon is asking Congress if it can move more than $5 billion in previously allocated funding, including hundreds of millions of dollars to replace bombs dropped during operations in Libya - despite military leaders previously saying replacements would not be needed. The 91-page request was signed June 30 by Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale and sent to Capitol Hill for review. The omnibus request is the Pentagon's opportunity to figure out where it is lacking money and ask Congress' permission to move funds around to cover shortfalls/.../
For the Pentagon, the dollar figures for each request are low, but after years of requests dominated by needs in Iraq and Afghanistan, these items may show the Pentagon is placing a slightly higher priority on this type of threat, Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments said/.../
For each funding transfer, the Pentagon supplies an offset. Sometimes where the money is coming from is more interesting that where it is going.
Much of the money is available due to improved efficiency and reduced reliance on service support contractors, according to the document. Harrison called this a good sign for the Pentagon's efficiency initiatives, because it indicates that at least some of the savings the Pentagon has budgeted for may be real. However, the more difficult savings to generate may take much longer, he said.