2024 DoD Budget: What does it entail?
If you’ve looked at the news this week you’ve likely seen a lot of articles regarding the new US Defense Budget for 2024, specifically focused around an amendment regarding abortion and other social issues. There are plenty of articles circulating on the internet discussing the budget through the lens of that controversial aspect of the bill. But, what else is in it, and what could the implications be? In this article I’ll do a very brief summation of the whole 672 page bill and what each title section entails. However, you can expect some more in depth analysis on some of the title sections I believe to be more important in a future article(s). For now though, lets look at the article as a whole then talk about what we can glean from it's overall tone and subject matter. Brace yourselves.
The 672 page bill contains Titles I - XLVII and can be summarized as follows:
Title I: Procurement
Discusses the procurement of vehicles and equipment for the armed forces with items of special interest.
Most notable are long range unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, missile procurement, ultra- endurance unmanned aircraft for “persistent intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance.”
Title II: Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation
briefly goes through projects for funding and special focuses on research and development. Most notable is the focus on hypersonic missiles and aircraft as well as noise reduction research.'
Title III: Operation and Maintenance
briefly goes through energy issues and reports citing need for alternative fueling and battery power for equipment. Raises concerns of logistics and sustainment in regard to radar, weapon systems, and air systems command.
This section also highlights reports on readiness issues ranging from operational training through field feeding systems and nursing staffing levels. Discusses briefly the merits of automation and machine learning in regard to readiness.
Title IV and V: Military Authorization and Personnel
Title IV Discusses the “strengths” of active forces, reserves, military technicians.
Title V discusses various personnel policies including their cyber curriculum, Gender Identity Impact studies, financial literacy training, military trials and public records.
Title VI: Compensation and Personnel Benefits
Discusses bonuses, child care benefits, cost of living allowances, adoption support, etc. As well as quality of life concerns, mental health concerns and school meal concerns.
Title VII: Health Care Provisions
This is the Title of the bill that was recently amended to suspend support for transition and hormone replacement costs as well as abortion reimbursement by the House of Representatives.
Discusses supports and coverages for various health care aspects.
Title VII: Acquisition Policy, Management and Related Matters
addresses access to various materials, specifically titanium, carbon fiber, aluminum-scandium alloy, and microchips.
Title IX: DoD Organization and Management
Discusses creation or suspension of various titles and positions within DoD.
Title X: General Provisions
Lengthy and varied section that discusses counter drug operations, deployment of prepositioned stocks in europe, domestic response training, gaps in writing history from Joint Chiefs, Sec. of Defense, and US Spec Ops, wargames, improvement of naval vessels, space force, etc.
Title XI: Civilian Personnel Matters
Discusses reports mostly oriented around shortages of civilian personnel and extending authorities of various agencies and private industries in order to ease work cooperation with civilian staff.
Title XII: Matters Relating to Foreign Nations
This is where the meat of interest is, it discusses the strategic importance of Ukraine, the Black Sea, and Africa. It addresses mining in Venezuela, coast guard in the Philippines, and Russian/Chinese presence in the Caribbean.
This section also outlines the spending to be made toward assisting Ukraine.
Title XII: Other Foreign Nation Matters
Addresses perhaps less pressing matters on foreign cooperation and reports which include defense cooperation with Japan and Korea, Extreme weather wargames, civilian harm training reports, and Indo-Pacific stockpiles for submarine and anti-submarine warfare.
Title XIV: Other Authorizations
Addressing of capital funds, chemical agents and munitions destruction, drug interdiction, defense health programs, etc.
Title XV: Cyberspace-Related Matters
Focus primarily on AI, open source software, and internet operations.
Title XVI: Space Activities, Strategic Programs, and Intelligence Matters
Provisions related to space activities including accelerating sea-based orbital launch platforms, commercial satellite procurement, high-power nuclear-electric space propulsion, and improving launch infrastructure. Additionally, there are plans for missile warning capabilities, geospatial intelligence monitoring, and the development of navigation technology satellites.
Legislative provisions focus on addressing threats such as cellular intercepts, analyzing Chinese penetration of transportation nodes, and enhancing defense counterintelligence and security. There are also initiatives to protect classified information, promote intelligence sharing with allies, and develop global intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capabilities.
Title XVII: Space Force Personnel Management
Focus includes the establishment of a Space Force military personnel system without a component, conforming amendments related to the space force military personnel system, transition provisions, and other amendments related to the Space Force.
Provisions outline the structure and regulations for managing personnel within the Space Force. It covers the establishment of a military personnel system specific to the Space Force, conforming amendments to align with the new system, transition provisions for the implementation of these changes, and other amendments relevant to the Space Force's personnel management.
Title XVIII: Other Defense Matters
Legislative provisions such as extending the authority for certain commercial activities, modifying defense sensitive support notification requirements, combating military reliance on Russian energy, and supporting bilateral agreements on illicit transnational maritime activity in Africa. It also addresses organizational conflicts of interest, genealogy collection for family members of Pearl Harbor victims, and other matters.
Provisions involve conducting a report on increasing national cemetery capacity, limitations on funds related to greenhouse gas emissions disclosure, and a study on infrastructure damage in Guam caused by Typhoon Mawar. Additionally, there are technical amendments, museum referrals, exemptions under the Marine Mammal Protection Act, wildfire suppression aircraft transfers, restrictive housing reform, and a sense of Congress regarding unmanned vehicles and vessel naming for the Battle of Dai Do.
Title XXI-XXIV (don’t ask me why they skipped IXX and XX): Army, Navy, Air Force, Defense Agency Construction:
Army Military Construction: This title includes authorized construction and land acquisition projects, family housing provisions, appropriations, and extensions of authority for various fiscal years' military construction projects in the Army.
Navy Military Construction: This title covers authorized construction and land acquisition projects, family housing provisions, appropriations, and extensions of authority for certain fiscal years' military construction projects in the Navy.
Air Force Military Construction: This title involves authorized construction and land acquisition projects, family housing provisions, appropriations, and extensions of authority for specific fiscal years' military construction projects in the Air Force.
Defense Agencies Military Construction: This title comprises authorized construction and land acquisition projects for defense agencies, energy resilience and conservation investment program projects, appropriations, and extensions of authority for various fiscal years' military construction projects within the defense agencies.
Title XXV: International Programs:
Focus on NATO security investment program including constructions and land acquisitions, appropriations and reports on Korea and Poland funded construction projects.
Title XXVI: Guard and Reserve Forces Facilities
Provisions for authorization of various branches’ land acquisition and construction projects.
Title XXVII: Base Realignment and Closure Activities:
Explanation of final closure of portions of Pueblo Chemical Depot and Chemical Agent Destruction Pilot Plant in Colorado.
Title XXVIII: Military Construction General Provisions
Briefings on various infrastructure projects including prefab military housing, laboratory modernizations, etc. Also includes mention of report on condition of water utility systems at military installations.
Title XXXI (again, don’t ask me where XXIX and XXX are): Dept. of Energy National Security Programs
Special interests in areas involving nuclear energy, expanding x-ray nuclear weapon effect testing, modernization of high explosives and energetics, technology readiness levels.
Provisions for nuclear energy, unfunded priorities, criminal penalties for interference with transport of special nuclear related materials or restricted data, etc.
Title XXXII: Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board
Provisions for authorization of $47.2 million for Defense Nuclear Safety Board.
Title XXXIV: Naval Petroleum Reserves
Provision for authorization of $13.01 million for maintenance of naval petroleum reserves.
Title XXXV: Maritime Administration
Provisions such as the authorization of appropriations for the Maritime Administration, eligibility criteria and assistance programs for port infrastructure development and small inland river and coastal ports, updates to categorical exclusions for reviewing environmental impacts, and reporting requirements on program administration, availability of used sealift vessels, port preferences, and the National Maritime Strategy
Title XLI-XLVII:
Various tables regarding authorizations and actual funding Vis-à-vis requested funds vs. approved.
Whew! Ok. Believe it or not, that actually was as brief a summation as could probably be given. If you’re still with me, you’re probably wondering why on earth I bothered to go through it and if I found anything of value. To whit, I believe I did.
The overall tone and content of the bill has some very clear implications and focuses. It’s obvious that the DoD believes that the areas of greatest strategic importance in the world are the Philippines, Ukraine/Balkans/Black Sea, and Africa. This is based from the provisions and content that exist there. On top of this, the proposed provisions imply that the areas of greatest technical interest to the DoD at this time involve hypersonic weapons and planes as well as AI and machine learning. I did find myself wondering whether a human pilot could successfully operate a hypersonic jet. So, perhaps they are planning to develop AI alongside the hypersonic equipment as a means of unmanned piloting? Lastly, there is an absolute ton of content, proposals, provisions within the bill for wargame exercises at home and amidst foreign allies. Not to worry monger but this could be an indication that DoD expects some form of military conflict that involves the US or NATO in the upcoming years. Or, it could just be a case of hope for the best, plan for the worst. Who knows? I sure don’t, but you can expect I’ll dive deeper into these important aspects of the bill in future articles, especially if it gets through the senate this week.
If you’re a masochist like me and want to peruse the entire bill you can do so here, on the official government website.
