Thursday, June 03, 2021

Department of Defense Press Briefing on the President's Fiscal Year 2022 Defense Budget for the Department of the Army

 May 28, 2021

Army Major General Paul Chamberlain, director of Army budget for the assistant secretary of the Army for financial management and comptroller

STAFF:  Well, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us today to discuss the Army's FY22 budget request.  Major General Paul Chamberlain, the director of the Army budget, will provide to you an in-depth overview and then take a few questions.  I'll call on reporters off the call-in roster and alternate between the phone lines and in the room. 

We're also holding a media roundtable on June 1st.  You'll have another opportunity for more questions after you've had time to review the budget.  We've got about 40 minutes today. 

And, sir, with that, the floor is yours. 

GEN. CHAMBERLAIN:  Well, great.  Thank you. 

So good afternoon.  I'm Major General Paul Chamberlain, the director of the Army budget.  And today I'll present an overview of the United States Army's FY22 budget request, which, when funded, ensures the Army can accomplish its mission in support of the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance and supports the Army's priorities of people, readiness, and modernization. 

Defending the nation, supporting our people, meeting current and future readiness goals, and modernizing the force requires timely and predictable funding commensurate with the Army's requirements.  I will begin this afternoon by showing how the Army is synced with the Secretary of Defense's priorities and messages in how the Army supports the Interim Security Strategic Guidance, then I will provide a strategic overview followed by an appropriation view of the Army's request highlighting several key areas. 

Finally, as time permits, I will answer your questions about the budget.  The Army prioritizes people, readiness, and modernization, which is aligned with the Secretary of Defense's themes of defend the nation, take care of our people, and succeed through teamwork, innovate and modernize, and maintain and enhance military readiness. 

To meet the Army mission as described in the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance, this budget request is strategy driven and requirements-based, with the foundation of the Army budget built on the Army's priorities.  People are the Army's most important component and the key to the Army meeting the changing needs of the nation.  The strength of the total force and its readiness were demonstrated responding to the COVID-19 - and in responding to COVID-19 and in supporting the security events of this past year. 

The resources in this budget continue to build and sustain tactical, operational, and strategic levels of readiness.  Looking at modernization, the FY '22 funding request continues our transformation in modernizing the Army to deploy, fight, and win in all domains.  As we pivot from the incremental improvements to enduring systems, to the revolutionary kick -- to the revolutionary capabilities of new systems that are consistent with the objectives of the Army Modernization Strategy.  We will leverage the consolidation of the efforts provided by Army Futures Command. 

We are already benefiting from unity of effort provided by Army Futures Command and the speed of delivering such capabilities as long-range precision fires, air and missile defense, and solider lethality, as well as in the pace to developing the next generation combat vehicles, future vertical lift, and the Army network.  America does not fight alone.  The FY '22 budget request ensures we continue to foster existing alliances and partnerships while simultaneously building new relationships.  The Army continues to resource international engagement programs, partnership exercises in the Pacific and Europe, and through the employment of our Security Force Assistance Brigades, to enable the Army to build partner nation capacity and strengthen relationships. 

Now we'll take a look at your Army today.  The Army remains prepared to provide a ready force to fight and win the nation's wars as a member of the joint force.  We are globally engaged with approximately 170,000 soldiers serving a 140 countries around the world and supporting combatant command requirements. Simultaneously, over 40,000 soldiers have supported the nation's call responding to the COVID-19 pandemic working -- as well as working to make the Southwest border secure and responding to civil authority requirements for assistance and also including soldiers who are augmenting emergency service response for increased array of natural disasters. 

As requirements abroad and at home continue to increase, the Army remains prepared to meet these extraordinary demands.  We must continue to prepare forces to compete and win against near peer strategic competitors in the Indo-Pacific and European theaters.  Concurrently, the Arctic has become a new geographic theater for competition and the Army stands ready to meet new challenges in that region, even as the Army continues to play a significant role in the Middle East and Asia.

We must also posture to combat borderless cyber threats that continue to pose significant national and global security concerns. This request supports the further development and crucial defensive and offensive cyber capabilities the Army has been tasked to provide in defense of the nation.

The Army must also confront, from within, further resourcing the People First Task Force to combat extremism, racism, sexism and sexual harassment and sexual assault in our formations. This is an emphasis for Army leaders. The Secretary of the Army and the Chief of Staff of the Army are committed to providing a force that remains strong and ready, focused on winning against any adversary anytime and anywhere in support of the nation's interests.

Now let's look at the budget. Before we get into the FY '22 request, I want to do two things. First, express the Army's appreciation of Congress for their continued support of the Army, and especially for their support of the Army's efforts to fund its modernization priorities over the last three years.

And secondly to explain the significant budget change in the FY '22 budget. The FY '22 marks the first year since 2009 that the budget request consists of base funding only. The president's FY '22 discretionary budget discontinues the overseas contingency operations as a separate fund. It now embeds direct war and enduring cost in the base budget.

Therefore, for presentation purposes on this summary slide, I have broken out what would have been identified as OCO into the categories of direct war and enduring costs. Direct war costs include Operation Inherent Resolve, counter-ISIL training equip fund, and the Afghanistan Security Forces Fund.

Enduring costs include such things that the European Deterrence Initiative and other theater requirements. Now I'd like to focus you on the top line. The Army's '22 budget request is $173 billion, including $10.4 billion for direct war and $8 billion for enduring costs.

There will be a slide later in the brief dedicated to the direct war and enduring costs. Back to the top line of $173 billion, which is about $3.6 billion less than the FY '21 enacted levels, in part due to the known reduction of requirements in the CENTCOM area of responsibility.

However, there are other reductions in research and development and the acquisition programs, which were required to ensure the Army funded its highest priorities and people and in readiness and in modernization.

Even with the reduction, the Army stays committed to modernizing the force against future threats as Army leaders were required to make deliberate decisions on programs to eliminate or reduce funding in order to focus on people and protect our monetization priorities.

The Army made prudent trades in order to field the best possible Army within the budget. Using an appropriation view of the Army's base budget request of $173 billion, you can see a decrease of about 2 percent from the FY '21 enacted appropriations.

This funding total reflects the combined resource requirements for all three components, and as mentioned earlier, includes direct and enduring costs. Our military pay account grew by $1.2 billion. These funds enable the Army to pay recruit, train, promote, and retain quality soldiers.

The operations and maintenance funding request declined $700 million from the FY '21 enacted levels. The decreased funding reflects the adjusted CENTCOM posture, a refined training strategy that I will discuss in a later slide. It also reflects a rate and price increase for the Army working capital fund, and funds the 2.7 percent civilian pay raise. Procurement in our detainee funding decreased by over $4 billion, but the Army continues its modernization efforts.

The Army, through Army futures command and collaboration with the assistant secretary for acquisition, logistics and technology, and specifically with the Rapid Capability and Critical Technologies Office, also known as RCCTO, continues to ensure the Army resources, its six modernization priorities supported by the eight cross-functional teams, to meet the Army's modernization goals.

The military construction request of $1.7 billion supports 30 projects across all three Army components. The request is a 15 percent decrease from the FY '21 enacted amount. But as a reminder, the Congress generously provided the Army authority and funding for eight additional projects, valued at $351 million in the FY '21 enacted budget.

The MILCON request also includes $491 million in Army family housing, operations, and construction. From here, we'll begin a more in-depth look at the budget request, beginning with the Army's end strength and military pay. The Army's end strength is reduced slightly in FY '22. The total end strength goes down by 1,700 soldiers, as depicted on the chart.

Even with the reduced end strength, the Army does not anticipate needing to adjust force structure to accommodate the small decrease in soldiers. More importantly though, the requested end strength will still allow the Army to fill units and to begin providing new capabilities designed to face emerging threats and support the joint all- domain force.

However, in the future, moderate growth to the Army end strength may still be needed to meet modernization and worldwide demand requirements. Military personnel accounts comprise the largest portion of the Army's base budget. The FY '22 request of $66.2 billion is an increase of $1.2 billion from the FY '21 enacted levels, and accounts for the rate adjustments.

The request compensate soldiers with a 2.7 percent pay raise, provides for recruiting and retention incentives, increases allowance for housing, and increases the basic allowance for subsistence. The reserve components military personnel accounts have similar percentage increases and provides for their statutory training days, exercise participation, recruiting and retention incentives, education benefits, and full-time support.

Ensuring military compensation is competitive is one way the department and the Army continue to recruit and retain the most qualified soldiers at the appropriate grade and skill levels. Now let's take a look at O&M. The Army's operation and maintenance accounts represent the second largest appropriation within the Army, and provide funds to recruit, organize, train, and sustain Army forces worldwide.

The FY '22 request for OMA reflects a decrease of approximately $900 million from the FY '21 appropriation. The FY '22 OMA request resources the Army three priorities, people, readiness and modernization. In FY '22, OMA investments reflect the Army's commitment to people first. In addition to the civilian pay raise, OMA funding resources the Army efforts to implement a 21st-century talent management system for both military and civilian workforces.

It increases childcare to include expansion of the Army Fee Assistance Program and invest in other soldier quality-of-life programs. The OMA request keeps the Army on track for meeting its readiness objectives. It funds home station training at require… directed readiness levels for brigade, combat teams, and combat aviation brigades.

To ensure readiness in FY '22, this budget resources 20 CTC rotations. Eight rotations at the National Training Center, eight at the Joint Readiness Training Center, and four at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center. One of these rotations includes a Security Force Assistance Brigade.  Two of the rotations are for the Army National Guard emphasizing total Army readiness and interoperability.  As the Army ensures a balanced approach to leader development and unit training requirements, we will focus exercises on tactical unit proficiency training that integrates with battalion and brigade staff exercises.

This focus will enable the Army to modify the requirement for brigade and battalion live fire and field training exercises prior to going through the combat training center rotations.

In fiscal year '22 the Army budget requested resources resources a new initiative, the Army Arctic Strategy.  The arctic is a geographic area of new competition as well as a platform for global power projection.  The Arctic Strategy uses total Army approach to adapt how the Army generates, postures, trains and equips its forces to execute extended multi-domain operations in extreme conditions in support of the joint war fighter.

In fiscal year '22 the Army will transition to a new unit lifecycle model that aligns modernization and readiness requirements necessary to build future readiness at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels.  The F.Y. '22 OMA request funds the Army's new Regionally-Aligned Readiness and Modernization Model known as ReARMM.

ReARMM is a flexible, predictable unit lifecycle process that will create an Army that is regionally and functionally capable of supporting the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance.  In fiscal year '22, OMA resources other Army modernization efforts including Project Convergence, advanced manufacturing, migration to Army 365, cybersecurity, and improvements to the Army's enterprise resource planning system in support of audit readiness.

These funds support the Army's campaign of learning, improve integration, and enable the Army's safe and expanded use of information technologies.  We'll look at the O&M for the National Guard and the Reserve next.

The Army's 2022 budget request supports a $10.6 billion O&M requirement for the Army National Guard and the U.S. Army Reserve.  The Army National Guard has been at the forefront of supporting local communities and the national's capitol over the past year and continues to support all of the Army's priorities. 

The Army National Guard prioritizes people as the most important weapon system.  The National Guard budget includes funding for the Strong Bonds Program, child and youth services, and increases for solider wellness emphasizing SHARP and suicide prevention programs.

The operation and maintenance National Guard request of $7.6 billion resources readiness objectives to include unit training, support for two CTC rotations, and increases to the Flying Hour Program.

Moreover, the Army National Guard request allows the Army Guard to defend against threats to the homeland and remains responsive to the governors for natural disasters and other state emergencies.

On the modernization front, the Army National Guard enhances energy sustainability at some of its oldest facilities and increases cybersecurity intrusion prevention tools to secure the DOD Information Network, including an increase of $36 million for software licenses.

The operation and maintenance reserve request of $3 billion is a slight increase from the F.Y. '21 enacted budget, and like the other Army components the Army Reserve is funding people programs that provide for ready and resilient soldiers, capable leaders, cohesive teams, strong families, and support of employers to ensure success.

So that end we are embracing the philosophy of this is my squad to build a culture of dignity and respect and ensure all believe their lives are worth living.  We are aggressively addressing behaviors such as sexual assault, sexual harassment, extremism and racism that run counter to Army values and negatively impact our soldiers and their families.

The Army Reserve's fiscal year '22 O&M budget also focuses on core competency of units supporting a responsive, flexible and enduring Army Reserve capable of providing essential combat enablers who are trained, equipped, lethal, and prepared to support the joining all-domain force.

The Reserve transformation efforts nest well on the Army's ReARMM, providing a framework to align resources across the component and unit readiness cycles. This approach ensures the Army Reserve is synchronized with the Army's Modernization Strategy and will remain capable of supporting combatant command requirements while investing in the modernization necessary for the future fight.

Now I'll present the Army's fiscal year 2022 budget request that supports its modernization strategy. The 2018 U.S. Army Modernization Strategy report to Congress introduced the Army six modernization priorities to make soldiers and units more lethal in order to deploy, fight, and win our nation's wars.

The Army's at an inflection point that requires innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship in the application of combat power.  The battlefield is becoming increasingly faster, more lethal and more distributed.  Victory will belong to the side that can make decisions and take action faster, which requires a modern multi-domain Army.

Today's Army Modernization Strategy continues its focus on the six modernization priorities: long-range precision fires, next-generation combat vehicle, future vertical lift, network, air and missile defense, and soldier lethality.  With the eight established cross functional teams and RCCTO focusing on 31+4 signature modernization efforts, the Army will maintain its competitive advantage over our adversaries.

These collaborative efforts between the eight CFTs and RCCTO and the Army ensure the best developing technologies can be rapidly and efficiently delivered to the force in order to support the Army's transformation to a multi-domain operations and how we fight.  Multi-domain operations will fundamentally transform the Army implementing new formations and capabilities.

From now to 2028, the Army will begin fielding CFT signature efforts as part of this transformation.  This waypoint informed by concept testing, experimentation, and analysis in order to validate and refine elements of the multi-domain operation concept will provide the developmental foundation the Army requires to achieve an MDO ready force by 2035.

The Army Futures Command through unity of effort and unity of command is responsible for changing the Army's war fighting doctrine and providing new war fighting capabilities faster and more cost-effectively.  The Army's delivering results that have reduced the seven-year requirements generation process to 18 months or less, with the goal of placing systems in the hands of our soldiers sooner.

The FY '22 budget aims to increase momentum for progressing modernization efforts with continued investments of time and resources to main(tain) adversarial overmatched. The Army is integrating 31+4 efforts to enable a holistic approach to modernization with key enablers playing a crucial role.

Supporting these efforts are the research, development, and acquisition accounts which I will discuss next.

The FY 2022 budget request for research, development and acquisition is $34 billion.  When compared to the FY 2021 enacted appropriations there are decreases in both research development, test and evaluation, and in the procurement appropriations. The Army FY '22 RDT&E request is $1.3 billion below the FY '21 enacted amount.  And the FY '22 procurement request is $2.8 billion below the FY '21 enacted amount. 

With these reductions in mind the Army protected its modernization and CFT efforts by adjusting funding to enduring capabilities and other non-CFT efforts.  Within this funding level the Army's futures command through Project Convergence is conducting a test exercise which is structured around a series of continuous demonstration and experiments designed to inform the best path to modernize the force.

This will ensure the Army has the right people with the right systems appropriately enabled and integrated to support the joint all-domain fight. 

Over the next few slides I will highlight how our budget request support Army priorities in RDT&E and procurement. 

Let's start with the Army's $12.8 billion research test and evaluation request.  This funding accelerates incremental upgrades to enduring systems delivering greater capabilities to our soldiers sooner and advances cutting edge technologies that will generate the decision dominance and overmatch required to win the next fight. 

The Army's science and technology portfolio is a crucial part of the Army's Modernization Strategy with 74 percent of the S&T budget aligned to the six modernization priorities.  The Army's S&T investment strategy seeks a balanced portfolio aligned to modernization priorities while maintaining exploratory research to ensure technological advantage and lays the ground work for revolutionary change.

A few featured examples of our top RDT&E investment areas are the long range hypersonic weapon which will provide the Army a prototype strategic attack weapon to defeat anti-access area denial capabilities. Suppress adversary long range fires and engage other high pay-off time critical targets. 

The Army is working closely with the Navy in the development of the long range hypersonic weapon.  The mission of the mid-range capability missile project is to provide combatant commanders with the strategic ground mobile, all-weather offensive missile capability. 

Future vertical lift, the future vertical lift development focuses on future long-range assault aircraft and future attack reconnaissance aircraft.  Both critical capabilities to meet combatant command requirements needed for deterrence, power projection and tactical capabilities at operational and strategic distances. 

The lower-tier air missile defense capability program will provide the joint force the required sensing capabilities, surveillance and fire control as part of the Army integrated air and missile defense network. 

In FY '22 RDT&E investments supports the Army's modernization priorities through early integration of concepts, prototyping and testing to ensure future generations of soldiers continue to be the most lethal fighting force in the world. 

I'll move on to procurement next.  As of the 31+4signature efforts mature funding will shift from RDT&E to procurement.  The Army through deliberate decisions during night court deep dives eliminated or reduced more than 240 programs to free up billions of dollars for modernization efforts.  The Army expects modernization costs to increase as systems enter low rate initial production and then procurement and fielding. 

The Army's FY '22 request of $21.3 billion for procurement is about $2.8 billion less than our FY '21 enacted funding.  Through a deliberate process we prioritized modernization efforts while having to adjust production of some enduring capabilities. 

The FY '22 Army aircraft request decreased by over $1.2 billion.  Our request is consistent with the Army aviation modernization strategy.  We're adjusting production rate for the Blackhawk and for the Apache helicopters in order to continue to continue the development of the future vertical lift aircraft.  We are also maintaining chinook buys for special operations.  The FY '22 missile appropriation shows the impact of Army modernization reform, and the utilization of Congressionally approved authorities to accelerate the procurement cycle. 

In this request, we ask to increase procurement of the precision strike missile, initiate procurement of the lower tier air and missile defense system, while sustaining the relevancy of the Patriot system.  As part of FY '22 weapons and tracked combat vehicle appropriation, the Army continues protection, mobility, and lethality upgrades for the Stryker, Abrams, and Bradley platforms while requesting to start low rate initial production for 24 mobile protected firepower systems. 

Additionally, out request supports the transition of the Paladin Integrated Management System to - to the full rate production.  The FY '22 ammunition appropriation funding request supports training and war reserve munitions for current and next generation weapons.  The program decreases were informed by updated training requirements, while increases and facility improvements paved the way for manufacturing the next generation of small arms as overseen by the Solider Lethality CFT.  In fiscal '22, the other procurement Army appropriation supports enduring capabilities as well as the network, solider lethality, and air and missile defense modernization priorities. 

The focus on Army network is necessary to improve sensor and shooter response times and enhance command and control forces distributed across vast distances in contested environments.  The Army network supports project convergence, the Army's path to combined joint all-domain operations.  A unified network ensures interoperability across the joint force and is critical to enabling the rapid transfer of data in a multi-domain environment.  Major unified networks in the FY '22 OPA request include, handheld manpack small form fit radios, which are scheduled for full rate production decision in the fourth quarter of this year. 

And the FY '22 funds will support procurement of leader radio and manpack radios that will be fielded in FY '22.  OPA funding supports the soldier lethality modernization efforts, which will increase the capability of individual solider weapons, provide soldiers with enhanced night vision, and increases their ability to quickly understand and react to emerging situations, increasing their lethality, precision, and survivability. 

These efforts will be complimentary to ongoing soldier performance initiatives to improve fitness, nutrition, resiliency, to ensure that we are modernizing the solider, not just the equipment for our soldiers.  This chart provides a snapshot of select procurement programs and the requested quantities.  I'll give you a moment to review the chart. 

Moving on to facilities, the Army's infrastructure is a critical aspect of Army readiness.  Army senior leaders recognize our soldiers, civilians and their families, should be afforded a quality of life commensurate to their dedicated service.  The FY '22 request includes Army housing and barracks initiatives through the Army Housing Campaign Plan, which is focused on shaping policies, procedures, and policies throughout Army installations. 

The Army's FY '22 military construction and family housing budget request addresses housing requirements and recapitalization needs, requesting over $262 million for five barracks initiatives across the Army enterprise, $100 million for barracks and dining facilities in Grafenwohr, Germany, 31 construction projects on various installations, and $3.3 million to hire Exceptional Family Member Program case managers and several other initiatives focused on the oversight of Army family housing construction and repair. 

The Army's BRAC funding request supports environmental cleanup, restoration, and conveyance of excess properties at locations designated under previous BRAC rounds.  FY '22 request funds keep planned cleanup efforts on track and prioritize installations which include Fort Ord, Fort Wingate, the Pueblo Chemical Depot, Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant, and Fort Devens, Massachusetts. 

The Army fiscal year '22 budget request includes other requirements that are funded outside our main appropriations.  This year's request includes $228 million for the Arlington National Cemetery to fund day-to-day operations and the southern expansion of the cemetery.  The Army is also requesting over $1 billion to support the Congressionally mandated Department of Defense Chemical Demilitarization Program consisting of the U.S. Army Chemical Material Activity and the Assembled Chemical Weapons Alternatives Program.

These requests also include funding for the Army Working Capital Fund which provides a $323 million cash infusion to preserve the required balance by the end of FY '22.  The last funding topic I'll discusses is the direct war and enduring costs.  Since 2001, the Army has managed funding for large overseas contingency operations or OCO budgets.  Contingency operations, by their nature, are very dynamic and can change quickly.  And as such, both adequate funding and sufficient transfer authority is required to support these contingency operations. 

As I stated earlier in the brief, a big change in FY '22 is how the funding that was formally known as OCO is accounted for in the FY '22 budget.  What were once OCO funded requirements are now funded and accounted for in the categories of direct war and enduring costs in the base budget.  The Army is requesting over $18 billion in direct war and enduring cost in n FY '22.  Part of the Army topline decrease is result of the previously planned force posture change in Central Command area of responsibility which resulted in a several billion dollar cost reduction.

But what -- but with the recent decisions to have forces leave Afghanistan, we are determining what those withdrawal requirements are and what funding will be needed to support those requirements.  It is too early to definitively state what the funding impacts will be to the Army as a result of the withdrawal from Afghanistan.  The Army also manages funding in the Afghan Security Forces Fund and the Counter Isis Train and Equip Fund.  The Army only provides accounting for these two funds, which comprise nearly $3.8 billion in military support of our partner nations.

Now, let's take a look at what has enabled the Army to realign funding to its highest priorities.  Through its reform efforts, the Army was able to free up time, money, and manpower to reinvest in other requirements.  Army senior leaders assess programs and realigned $1.6 billion in FY '22, applying these savings towards its people and modernization strategy.  Army energy initiatives are another reform effort.  One of these initiatives allowed the Army to realize $35 million of energy savings last year, which were reinvested into other energy resilience and conservation projects as well as MWR and other quality-of-life initiatives. 

Another ongoing reform effort is the Army's work to obtain auditability.  The Army entered its fourth year of audit in FY '21, and though the Army received a disclaimer of opinion, the auditors made it a point to note that year-over-year, the Army continues to make steady progress to improve its accountability and its business systems processes.

Other reform initiatives of note are the ongoing assessment for the Criminal Investigation Division structure, and criminal case handling in order to better support families and soldiers. 

Lastly, the Command Accountability and Execution Review program is also a reform effort the Army has implemented.  It is a tool to assist commanders in improving their fiscal stewardship by maximizing purchasing power and minimizing inefficiencies.  This program has helped to identify and resolve several areas of concern that affect the Army and Department of Defense. 

Because of the Army's aggressive efforts in the past three years, the divestitures identified in FY '22 are modest, only $48 million across seven programs.  However, the Army remains committed to continuing the process of assessing and realigning funding and equipment to address requirements for future capabilities while divesting of less capable equipment that does not support the joint all-domain force. 

I have the privilege of serving the greatest soldiers, families, and civilians in the world, which is why I can say your Army is prepared to meet the requirements asked of it in the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance.  And as your Army remains engaged in missions around the world, the Army has and will continue to focus on our first priority, people. 

The Army's People Strategy aims to promote and build cohesive teams that are highly trained, disciplined, fit, and ready to fight and win.  Furthermore, the Army People Strategy focuses on a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. 

In FY '22 the Army will transition to a new unit lifecycle model that aligns modernization and readiness requirements necessary to build future readiness at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels ensuring the Army can rapidly deploy in order to provide the ground combat and multi-domain capable units to the joint in support of combatant command requirements. 

Your Army is modernizing and is a leader in technology and concepts.  New and emerging technologies will change the character of warfare, resulting in a faster, more lethal, and more distributed battlefield. 

The Army's modernization efforts have been self-funded by three years of reforms and night court deep dives.  Future deep dives will likely garner modest returns, but the Army must continue to transform and resource its modernization strategy represented by the 31+4signature efforts. 

This will ensure the Army maintains its land power dominance, and sustains its overmatched capabilities in order to meet the demands of the strategic competition, great power conflict, and the joint force. 

The FY '22 budget request supports the total Army.  It represents deliberate decisions to support people, maintain hard-fought readiness gains, and build upon its modernization efforts through timely, adequate, predictable, and sustained funding combined with its greatest weapon system - it's people.  The Army will be able to compete and win, both now and into the future.  People first, winning matters, Army strong. 

Thank you. 

STAFF:  OK.  We have time for a few questions. 

QUESTION:  Steve Tremble with Aviation Week Magazine  So, in the RDT&E account it goes from 14.1 to 12.8 as you suggested, but you've kept the 31+4.  And how did you accomplish that without having to eliminate anything? 

You say you've reduced and delayed certain programs within that portfolio, would any of them be involved with future vertical lift or LRPF? 

GEN. CHAMBERLAIN:  No, none of the modernization priorities - the efforts, were impacted by the night court decisions, they were protected through the night court decisions.  There were, and you can see in the quantities of the Black Hawk and the Apache that the reductions were taken there in those lines. 

And that is consistent with the decisions that the senior leaders made in order to - as we're looking to put money into the modernization efforts, if any of those modernization efforts are really going to be based upon some of our enduring capabilities, the funding from those enduring capabilities will be applied to the 31+4, and in this case the aircraft or the FARA and the FLRAA

STAFF:  On the phone, Ashely from Jane’s. 

QUESTION:  Hi.  I just wanted to follow-up on Steve’s question.  So from those broader portfolios for modernization, were there any that you reduced funding to to slow down - in part draw it out as you reduced sort of the pot that he referenced?  And then, could you outline the RDT&E funding for next generation combat vehicle and FVL for next year? 

GEN. CHAMBERLAIN:  So none of the modernization priorities were slowed down.  They were all funded to ensure that they would stay on pace and on their plan unless there was a necessary adjustment.  But none of them was intentionally reduced.  Can you repeat your second part of the question, please? 

QUESTION:  Yes.  Could you provide some of the funding details for next generation combat vehicle and FVL for next year? 

GEN. CHAMBERLAIN:  So for your details, what are you looking for?  How much detail? 

QUESTION:  As much as you could provide.  If you have like a ... 

(CROSSTALK)

GEN. CHAMBERLAIN:  Well, I'll tell you what - so I think the best thing is we'll take that for the record and we'll get an answer back to you.  But I would tell you that for the next generation combat vehicle - in the next month the OMFV - the optionally manned future - the optionally manned future vehicle is going to be going - will probably award a contract at the end of June, or sometime in July.  That's the timeline that they're on, so we're expecting that to be completed here shortly and moving into the first phase.

STAFF:  And we have time for one last question in the room.  

QUESTION:  Hi, yes,Jen Judson with Defense News.  You have a breakout here for how much money you were able to shift by eliminating seven programs into your modernization priorities like you've done in the past, and you also mentioned in here that you've reduced or delayed 37 other programs in order to fund the modernization priorities. 

GEN. CHAMBERLAIN:  Yes. 

QUESTION:  Do you have a breakout in terms of a dollar amount of how much you were able to shift in terms of the reduced and delayed programs?  Because it looks like the $47.8 million is just for the eliminated programs. 

GEN. CHAMBERLAIN:  That is correct.  The $47 million is for those seven eliminated programs.  It's about $1.6 billion from the reduced programs. 

QUESTION:  OK.  All right.  And then, I wanted to see if you were able to - in terms of the Multi Domain Task Forces and how you're going to be shaping those, do you have a breakout in terms of funding for what you're putting towards those, to grow those, and shape those in FY '22?  Do you have a number ... 

GEN. CHAMBERLAIN:  We do.  I don't have that with me, but we can get that to you. 

QUESTION:  OK.  And then also the same question for the Arctic strategy.

GEN. CHAMBERLAIN:  Yes.

QUESTION:  OK.

GEN. CHAMBERLAIN:  So I may have that one.

QUESTION:  OK.

GEN. CHAMBERLAIN:  No, sorry.  I don't have that one.

QUESTION:  OK.

GEN. CHAMBERLAIN:  So we'll get that to you as well.

QUESTION:  OK, thank you.

STAFF:  OK, thank you very much.  We are out of time for the briefing.  But I do want to remind everyone that we do have a media roundtable set for Monday.  You should have all gotten the invite and...

GEN. CHAMBERLAIN:  Tuesday -- yes, Tuesday.

STAFF:  ... Tuesday -- sorry, Tuesday.

(Laughter.)

So we will answer your questions then.  And thank you very much, have a great weekend.

GEN. CHAMBERLAIN:  Absolutely.

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