Budget

DoD 2012 budget to exceed target savings

The Defense Department\'s 2012 budget will include more than its share of the 2.3 percent in savings that Secretary Gates has called for.

Federal News Network Staff

November 10, 2010 6:51 pm

< a min read

The Defense Department’s 2012 budget will include more than its share of the 2.3 percent in savings that Secretary Gates has called for.

Brett Lambert, the Pentagon’s industrial affairs chief, said there is a lot of low-hanging fruit to easily allow military services to trim $102 billion from next year’s budget, according to Defense News. The challenges will really come in fiscal year 2013 and beyond, Lambert said.

But will savings be enough? Defense Business Board Chairman Michael Bayer said different budget pressures will mean the Pentagon will actually need to find about $123 billion to get the effect the secretary wants.

Lambert said DoD needs to align the interests of the industrial base with the interests of the war fighter. That will require legislative relief from Congress, he said.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily DoD Report. For more defense news, click here.