*Source: DTN News / Government Accountability Office ~ issued July 10, 2009
(NSI News Source Info) WASHINGTON - July 14, 2009: Since 2001, Congress has provided the Department of Defense (DOD) with $888 billion in supplemental and annual appropriations, as of 
June 2009, primarily for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO).
June 2009, primarily for Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO). DOD’s reported annual obligations for OCO have shown a steady increase from about $0.2 billion in fiscal year 2001 to about $162.4 billion in fiscal year 2008.
For fiscal year 2009 OCO, Congress provided DOD with about $65.9 billion in the fiscal year 2009 DOD Appropriations Act and about $80.0 billion in a supplemental appropriation enacted in June 2009. A total of $59.6 billion has been obligated through the second quarter of fiscal year 2009 through March 2009.
The United States’ commitments to OCO will likely involve the continued investment of significant resources, requiring decision makers to consider difficult trade-offs as the nation faces an increasing long-range fiscal challenge.
The magnitude of future costs will depend on several direct and indirect cost variables and, in some cases, decisions that have not yet been made. DOD’s future costs will likely be affected by the pace and duration of operations, the types of facilities needed to support troops overseas, redeployment plans, and the amount of equipment to be repaired or replaced. DOD compiles and reports monthly and cumulative incremental obligations incurred to support OCO in a monthly report commonly called the Contingency Operations Status of Funds Report.
DOD leadership uses this report, along with other information, to advise Congress on the costs of the war and to formulate future OCO budget requests.
Malaysia's up-and-coming hopeful, 
Things got a bit more interesting in the afternoon session with better competition, closer fights and more three-game matches. Surprise came from the Thailand vs. Singapore tie when 
Barack Obama and top defense officials warned July 13 that the 2010 defense budget will be vetoed unless Congress kills further purchases of the F-22 aircraft.
Continuing to procure more of the fighters is taking money away from more pressing needs, Obama said in a letter as the Senate begins debating S 1390, the 2010 defense authorization act.
The bill includes about $1.75 billion for the purchase of seven more F-22s that the Pentagon says it does not want or need.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, in their own letter to Congress, said continuing to spend money beyond 2009 on the F-22 would come "at the expense of other Air Force and defense programs."
The letters were read on the Senate floor by Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, who said the $1.75 billion being spent on the F-22 was taken from military personnel and operations and maintenance accounts, including accounts to cover the cost of active-duty bonuses and support and from the civilian payroll account.
Money also was "found" through an assumption that the military will be able to save money starting next year by reforming defense acquisition policies.
"Each of these places cannot afford these cuts," Levin said, noting in particular that overhauling rules on weapons-buying could end up costing money in the short term rather than providing savings.
"Major savings, which we think will come, are not going to happen in the short term," he said.
Levin said cutting uniformed and civilian personnel accounts would be a mistake, and likely would force the Pentagon to come back later for extra money to cover expenses.
Levin and Sen. John McCain of Arizona, the armed services committee's ranking Republican, support the Pentagon's view that 187 F-22s are enough. As Senate debate began July 13 on the bill, the first amendment under consideration is to cancel additional F-22 purchases.
"At some point, we have to come to the logical conclusion that a weapons system has come to an end," Levin said.
This will be the first of many tests to see whether Congress is willing to terminate or reduce weapons programs. In this case, with contracts for F-22 pieces spread over 40 states, job protection in a weak economy is a major factor.
McCain said the votes "are not there" to kill the F-22, and that he hopes Obama's letter "has a significant impact."
Debate on the defense bill is expected to extend through early next week, with more than 300 amendments anticipated. 
