Personnel costs drive hike in Army ’09 budget

[unhappycamper]

Personnel costs drive hike in Army ’09 budget
By Michelle Tan - [e-mail]
Posted : Saturday Feb 2, 2008 16:41:31 EST

The Army is asking for $140.7 billion for fiscal year 2009, a $10.5 billion increase — 8 percent — over the previous year, according to planning documents obtained by Army Times.

Details of the budget request for Oct. 1, 2008, through Sept. 30, 2009, will be announced Feb. 4.

According to the documents, the fiscal 2009 budget is structured to provide “trained and equipped forces to the combatant commanders” while balancing the needs on the battlefield with long-term growth and improvements.

The request also will provide soldiers with an across-the-board 3.4 percent pay increase in fiscal 2009. The Army seeks $51.8 billion for personnel costs, a 12 percent boost to help pay for adding tens of thousands of soldiers to the ranks. The growth plan calls for going from the current 523,000 active-duty troops to at least 532,000 by the end of fiscal 2009. According to the documents, the Army plans to increase the number of recruiter billets and roll out an “assertive” advertising campaign.

The documents obtained by Army Times do not include funding for the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, which largely have been paid for by using emergency supplementals received throughout the fiscal year.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2008/02/ap_pentagon_budget_080201/