The Department of Defense would continue to receive more funding for homeland security than any other part of the federal government except the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the president’s fiscal 2006 budget.
President Bush has proposed $9.5 billion for all Pentagon homeland security spending — an 11 percent increase over fiscal 2005, when the Defense Department also captured second place.
The Pentagon was not able immediately to break down the spending request but did provide a list of programs that would receive priority funding.
A DOD official told CQ Homeland Security the department’s budget includes funds for a new program to share high-tech counterterrorism equipment with first responders — police and firefighters who could benefit from cutting-edge chemical and biological detectors and other defense equipment.
The budget also includes funds for a new program to coordinate “maritime domain awareness” — a military term for surveillance of waterborne threats — between the Pentagon, DHS and other agencies, the DOD official said.
Two military commands involved in domestic counterterrorism — the U.S. Northern Command and the North American Aerospace Defense Command — would both see a slice of the Pentagon homeland defense budget.
Some other Pentagon programs would see substantial increases, too. For example, funding for long-range radar technology would increase by 25 percent, the DOD official said. The Federal Aviation Administration and the Air Force use the radar to track potential air threats to the president, vice president,and large crowds at Special National Security Events, such as last summer’s political conventions.
The Defense Department also would see a 40 percent increase in general funds to defend against terrorist attacks and to back up first responders in the event of an emergency.
And in at least one case, the Pentagon’s proposed budget for homeland security would eclipse that of DHS. The Defense Department would receive about three times as much money as DHS to protect critical infrastructure from terrorist attacks, according to an analysis by the Bush administration. The Pentagon would receive $8.7
billion for critical infrastructure, whereas DHS would net just $2.8 billion.
The Pentagon uses the funds to assess the best ways to defend military bases and other infrastructure that commanders and troops need to do their jobs, according to the DOD official.
Another program to see an increase would be a DOD-wide effort to develop biometric technologies. Pentagon employees now use a common access card with biometrics on it.
During a press briefing on Feb. 7, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld trumpeted the first-ever specific request for funds to pay for Operation Noble Eagle, the Pentagon’s mission launched after the Sept. 11 attacks to protect the homeland.
The growing budget reflects a sharper DOD focus on protecting the United States against terrorist attacks after a somewhat rocky start, a second DOD official said.
Programs to share technology with first responders and conduct maritime surveillance have been low on the radar until now, he said.
“I think this is the first time they’ve actually asked for money and identified those kinds of programs for funding, and I think it’s showing, really, their lack of maturity —but at least they’re trying to do something,” the official said.
Caitlin Harrington can be reached via
charrington@cq.com Source: CQ Homeland Security
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