The documents released this week by the White House and Department of Defense explaining how they will spend the new $42.3 billion addition to the war supplemental tell very different stories. Alongside color photos showing uniformed soldiers meeting with tribal leaders, DoD’s 60-page justification document contains pie charts dividing the funds into categories such as “Force Protection,” “Strengthening the Army Guard and Reserve,” and “Reconstitution.” But it is the 40-page Detailed Funding Appendix, also produced by DoD’s budget office, that breaks the money down into the budget titles and line items used in legislation.

According to the appendix, the new request would add $8.4 billion for Army operations and maintenance (O&M), bringing the Army’s total to $55 billion (the highest of any of the services). Though some of this money would go to functions such as filling out brigades and flight training, by far the largest amount–$7.4 billion—goes to a line item titled “additional activities.” Separate justification materials from the Army describe “additional activities” as a catchall account for operational expenses ranging from body armor to maintenance contracting to recreational events. DoD lumps all these needs into one account so it can shift money around as needed. But can Congress keep track of the dancing dollars? The Congressional Research Service says sharp increases in war O&M funding (from $60 billion in FY06 to $75 billion in FY07 to more than $90 billion in FY08) cannot be solely attributed to the troop surge in Iraq, and that DoD budget reporting often uses large categories “too vague to be useful.”

We can only hope that when Congress tackles the supplementals around the end of the year, members will look hard at where the cash would actually go rather than only considering its political value. We’ll release a more detailed breakdown of the full $45.9 billion request tomorrow, and of course will break down the House and Senate bills once they emerge. 

For more information, please contact: Laura Peterson (202) 546-8500 x 114 or email.