The U.S. Army, led by Secretary Christine Wormuth, is planning to request more flexible funding for unmanned aircraft systems, capabilities to counter them, and electronic warfare tools in its next budget. This decision is based on lessons learned from Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion. Wormuth highlighted the need to invest more in these areas, as technology is rapidly evolving.
During training in Germany, a Ukraine battalion commander shared concerns about increasing Russian electronic warfare capabilities. Wormuth emphasized the need for agility in funding mechanisms to keep up with technological advances. Both Wormuth and Gen. Randy George are exploring different budgeting approaches to quickly provide capabilities to soldiers.
Proposed changes include asking Congress for dedicated funding pots for specific capabilities rather than spreading funds across multiple line items. However, gaining support from congressional appropriators may be challenging due to past skepticism around such funding structures. The elimination of overseas contingency operations (OCO) funding in FY22 further complicates budgeting for overseas operations within the base budget.
Despite potential obstacles, Wormuth remains optimistic about the Army’s budget presentation, which aims to streamline funding for key areas like unmanned systems and electronic warfare. By focusing on a few key priorities, the Army hopes to demonstrate effective use of agile funding mechanisms and pave the way for future budget adaptations.
