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Washington (AFP) May 6, 2008 The Pentagon warned Tuesday the US Army will not be able to pay its soldiers beyond June 15 unless Congress acts soon on a stalled request from the administration for war funding. It was the latest salvo in a long-running impasse between the Democratic-controlled Congress and the administration over a 108-billion dollar request to fund US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2008 fiscal year. The pay crunch would be eased if Congress authorized funds to be moved from other accounts to pay soldiers, but the Pentagon is pressing for approval of the full budget request. "We run out of money in order to pay soldiers after June 15 unless the Congress acts to pass the supplemental or provide us with the reprogramming authorities to move money within accounts," said Pentagon press secretary Geoff Morrell. "We do not have the authorities right now to pay soldiers beyond June the 15," he told reporters. US Defense Secretary Robert Gates last week sent a letter to members of Congress saying he was encouraged to hear they planned to act on the 2008 war funding bill by the Memorial Day holiday on May 26. Morrell said congressional staffers were briefed on the budget situation earlier Tuesday. "I know we have raised concerns about this issue before, but we are once again getting down to crunch time," he said. "And unless Congress appropriates the 108 billion dollars in the next few weeks, most of our troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan could go without pay, and the critical progress they have achieved will be in jeopardy." Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links The Military Industrial Complex at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Thompson Files: Delay U.S. defense review
Arlington, Va. (UPI) May 6, 2008 It is now nearly 20 years since the Berlin Wall was breached, providing a powerful symbol of communism's impending collapse. That event also marked the end of an era in American defense planning, because the military challenge posed by the Soviet Union had taken most of the guesswork out of what kind of defense posture the nation needed. |
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