The Pentagon sent to Congress today a report that provides new details about the effects of $37 billion in sequestration cuts through Sept. 30.
The report, required by the current year’s defense appropriations measure, lists the amounts that Congress appropriated for the Pentagon’s 2,500 programs, project and budget activities, and shows how much each will be reduced by the automatic spending reductions that took effect March 1.
The Air Force’s appropriated $3.1 billion to buy 19 F-35 jets made by Lockheed Martin Corp. was reduced by $502 million, according to the report. The Navy’s $1 billion to buy four carrier-model F-35s was decreased by $156 million, and its $1.4 billion for six Marine Corps short-takeoff-and vertical landing fighters was cut by $145 million.
While the report doesn’t spell out the number of weapons cut in each program, defense companies will be able to use the report to determine “what funding is available for that particular program for the fiscal year,” John Roth, the Pentagon’s deputy comptroller for programs and budgets, said in an interview.
The purpose is to provide Congress a baseline of Pentagon funding that defense committees will review as they consider a Pentagon reprogramming request to move $9.6 billion between categories and mostly into readiness accounts.
V-22, Drones
In other weapons cuts, the Navy’s $1.3 billion appropriation to buy 18 additional V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft from Boeing Co. and Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. was reduced by $18 million.
The Air Force’s plan to spend $82 million on 717 laser- guided Lockheed Hellfire missiles fired by Predator and Reaper drones was cut by $331,000.
On shipbuilding, the $1.7 billion for construction of Littoral Combat Ships made by Lockheed and Austal Ltd. was decreased by $43.5 million, and the $3 billion approved for construction of two more DDG-51 destroyers built by Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. and General Dynamics Corp. was reduced by $28 million.