Gen. Obering and his colleagues confident their budget works

The House Armed Services Committee Strategic Forces Subcommittee held a hearing to examine the fiscal year 2009 National Defense Authorization Budget Request of Missile Defense Programs.

Witnesses from high ranking Defense positions fielded questions about the budget request, including Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry Obering, director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). Obering talked about how the budget ensures America will not only continue to have strong short term military capabilities, but will protect us in the “long term as well.”

Obering said the budget request by President Bush for missile defense programs is “extremely modest” in comparison to what it does for our country. Obering mentioned that he hopes the military’s success in doing things with missiles like shooting down satellites continue while still being “operationally affordable” in coming years.

House Armed Services Committee hearing on Irregular Warfare

At the House Armed Services Committee Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee hearing on "The FY2009 National Defense Authorization Budget Request - Department of Defense Science and Technology: Responding to the 21st Century Irregular Warfare Threat Environment," Congressman William Thornberry (R-TX) said tomorrow's national security depends on the technology of today. He said he was not pleased with a 4% increase in the budget request because of the rate of change in the world, which he called "extraordinary." To keep up with and do something about the technological changes requires a significant investment in science and technology.

Roy Schwitters, professor of physics at the University of Texas Austin, said there is a new land of sensors and surveillance technology, and that if we can learn to use it, it would be "game changing" in regards to warfare. In recent years, Schwitters said, there has been a data glut problem, and it's not just the tactical approaches but the understanding of the results.

Terabytes of information are now the standard measure, and merely increasing our data capability does not solve our problem. Schwitters compared the data glut problem to the I Love Lucy episode, where she worked in the chocolate factory. Data piles up like the chocolate on the conveyor belt, he said, and eventually the bits are just going to fall on the floor if we can't keep up. The quality of the information is of paramount importance, Schwitters said. We need new ways to handle the data, and the conventional approach is to compress the data. Compressing the data, he said, loses critical information. We're facing a new form of systems integration with today's technology, Schwitter went on to say, and we all have to learn together how to use it. He suggested having integrated users, analysts, and programmers.

Allan Shaffer, principle deputy director of Defense Research and Engineering at the Defense Department, said the Department of Defense's Science and Technology program has a history of developing technology that continues to deliver excellent service. There have been changes and challenges with the digital landscape, Shaffer said, and the 11.5 billion dollar request (the highest in history) is for research of technology. Research is in decline, he said, and our men and women in uniform deserve the best we can give them. Some of the areas to expand upon include biometrics, surveillance, and cyber protection. We are well positioned, he said, but have much to accomplish. We must be able to work with technology that emerges anywhere in the world. Planning, he said, is not enough.

Thomas Killion, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for Research and Technology, said we need to pursue technology that makes unprecedented advancements for our soldiers. The goal, he said, is to target the enemy while saving the lives of our soldiers. Some of the programs developed include "Battlemind," which is to help prepare our soldiers for a war atmosphere and then help transition them back. The budget request includes increased funding for understanding how the brain works to better create programs for training.

Admiral William Landay III, said we must address technology in a global manner, and be able to take advantage of anything anywhere. We must focus on delivering new and novel technology, he said, and development at the moment is "vibrant." Also, Landay said, we must continue to work with plans to transition new technology to our soldiers. A key area to focus on, he said, is the ability to succeed in irregular warfare, and we must make the enemy fear the United States' ability to meet any challenge.

A brief look into the 2009 Department of Defense budget

Overall the budget for FY09 is $515.4 billion. This reflects about a 5 percent increase over FY08. The department Controller Tina Jonas spoke of many "healthy increases," especially in systems investment and procurement and quality of life programs for soldiers. No weapons programs have been canceled. Though some procurement was delayed because the technology had not progressed to be worth the investment at this time.


The DoD's FY09 priorities are to:Increase ground force capabilities, improve force readiness, develop future combat capabilities, and improve quality of life for military members.


There was explanation of an interesting situation in regards to war funding. The Defense Department says that the Congress has only provided 46 percent of Bush's request for the war on terror. The Pentagon has requested $70 billion in supplemental war funding to fund the war from the beginning of the fiscal through inauguration. The controller also pointed out that Congress has yet to provide for $102 billion from Bush's original global war on terror funding request. They said that the would complete a request for the war budget after assessments are made by combatant commanders in the spring.