The Pentagon will request $550 million less for missile defense programs in the budget proposal that is part of the Obama administration's budget, Bloomberg News reports:
The Pentagon will request $9.16 billion for missile defense programs for the 2014 fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, about $550 million less than this year’s $9.71 billion, according to internal budget figures obtained by Bloomberg News.
The missile defense proposal scheduled to be released April 10 is part of a $526.6 billion defense budget President Barack Obama will propose, according to government officials familiar with the budget plan who asked not to be named discussing it in advance.
The request is subject to congressional scrutiny and could be increased in areas lawmakers decide to give greater emphasis, such as the ground-based system of missile interceptors based in Alaska and California to protect the U.S. Last year, House members added money to start construction of a site on the East Coast. The Senate removed the funds, asking the Pentagon to conduct an environmental impact study instead.
Chairman of the House Armed Services missile defense panel Mike Rogers (R., Ala.) expressed concern in a statement to Bloomberg over the proposed cuts, given ongoing issues in North Korea and other developments in nuclear technology.