1、TestimonyThinking Smarter About DefenseSeptember 30,2010TesTimony for The house CommiTTee on The BudgeTtodd HarrisonAs fiscal year 2010 draws to a close and the economy struggles to recover from the deepest recession since the Great Depression,the federal government faces a number of fiscal challeng
2、es.The budget deficit is projected to exceed$1.4 trillion due in part to increased spending on fiscal stimulus programs and a sharp reduction in tax revenues due to the recession.But underlying the current fiscal situation is a structural deficit that the economic downturn only exacerbated.As Congre
3、ss and the administration focus more attention on reducing the deficit,all areas of the budget,including defense,have come under increased scrutiny.The Obama Administrations FY 2011 budget request includes a total of$712 billion for the Department of Defense(DoD).The base budget for the Department i
4、ncludes$549 billion in discretionary funding and$4 billion in mandatory funding.An additional$159 billion is requested for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.The budget also requests$19 billion for defense-related atomic energy programs,$8 billion for defense-related activities in other agencies,and$1