The Navy portion of the Pentagon’s FY’09 budget request is the largest chunk among the services. It amounts to $149.3 billion, including $24.9 billion for the Marine Corps, which equates to 29 percent of DOD’s overall $515.4 billion proposal. The Air Force comes in a close second with a blue and non-blue total of $143.9 billion, equating to a 28 percent share of the total budget. However, remember USAF’s discretionary or blue budget is $117 billion. The Army portion for 2009 at $140.7 billion or 27 percent of the total shows the largest overall increase, about 9.6 percent more than the previous year. Defense-wide expenditures lie at $81.6 billion (16 percent). DOD divides the total budget proposal into four major accounts, requesting 35 percent of the total for strategic modernization; 31 percent for operations, readiness, and support; 29 percent for military pay and healthcare; and five percent for family housing and facilities.
Air Force F-16s from Germany Deploy to Middle East
Oct. 27, 2024
As tensions spiral in the Middle East, U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcons from Germany have flown to the region, U.S. Central Command said Oct. 25. The F-16s are from the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, and represent some of the service’s most advanced models.