Just where are those flag wavers now? I forgot, they ditched the Made In China flags for the Made in China "I Support Our Troops" ribbons:


DOD shy $574M for 2006 Iraq death benefit

quote:

DOD shy $574M for 2006 Iraq death benefit By Pamela Hess Pentagon correspondent Washington, DC, Mar. 3 (UPI) -- The military has not budgeted for the $574 million needed to pay death benefits for troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan next year, according to Pentagon documents. The amount would cover more than 1,000 deaths. The numbers are included in the services'"unfunded priorities list," a document drawn up by each branch at the request of Congress to guide it as it crafts the military's annual budget. The Pentagon is seeking enhanced death benefits for each service member killed in Afghanistan or Iraq, a number that Thursday topped 1,650 combined, with Iraq at 1,500. It wants to pay the families of those killed since October 2001 close to $500,000 each, $100,000 as a death gratuity, and $400,000 of life insurance coverage. It included the money in its 2005 supplemental request to cover the costs of the "war on terror." Additional money for the increased benefit is not included in the 2006 budget request. It is likely to be included in a supplemental request in 2006 if Congress does not provide it in the budget now under discussion on Capitol Hill. The Army's share is $348 million. The Marine Corps has asked for $226 million. Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Pamela Hart denied that the $348 million is based on any actual projections of what the deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan might be. "We value the lives of each and every soldier, and recognize their service and sacrifice to our nation. Nonetheless, we must identify a requirement to take care of the families of our fallen soldiers. The number applied does not represent any actual casualty projections. We hope to never have to spend a nickel of it," she told United Press International. The Army has lost close to 1,000 soldiers in Iraq since the start of the war, the Marines about 500. Most troops are injured and killed by improvised explosive devices, either at roadside or secreted as car bombs. The month of February had the fewest number of U.S. troops killed -- 33 soldiers and 7 Marines -- since July 2004. Significant events occurred in the months just prior that might have influenced the death toll: Iraq reassumed its sovereignty in June 2004, and in January, Iraq held its first free election. The insurgency is also increasingly targeting Iraqis, either civilians or Iraqi security forces and recruits, said Pentagon spokesman Larry DiRita at a Thursday press conference. He also credited the lower rate of U.S. deaths to aggressive offensive operations on the part of the coalition, which he said has killed and captured thousands of insurgents since the assault on Fallujah in November. The services do not restrict their unfunded priorities list -- sometimes known as a "wish list" -- to just death benefits. Their lists total $13.7 billion in spending they would like to see added to the $420 billion 2006 budget request. Congress usually provides the military the total amount it wants but often redirects billions into projects not outlined in the lengthy budget document. The wish list is meant to help guide that spending. The Army asked for $4.8 billion; the Navy $3.7 billion; the Air Force $3.1 billion and the Marine Corps $2 billion. The Army's request includes half a billion dollars for recruiting and retaining troops. While the Army Reserve and the National Guard have had trouble attracting recruits for the past few months, the Army confirmed Thursday for the first time in five years it had missed its monthly recruiting goal by almost 30 percent. It was 2,000 recruits shy of its 7,000 soldier target for February. DiRita said the Army is confident it can make up the difference over the rest off the year but confirmed it was a matter of concern. "We should take steps now to prevent a recruiting and retention crisis, not wait for it to happen and then react," said Missouri Rep. Ike Skelton, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Service Committee who requested the lists from the armed forces. "I am astounded to discover that the Army has identified a shortfall of $537.5 million in funds needed for recruitment, retention and initial training to maintain the current force. Even the Navy, which is not being taxed operationally to the same extent as the Army, has identified a $20 million shortfall in its recruiting budget." The Marine Corps identified a $20 million shortfall in its program to develop ways to defeat improvised explosive devices, according to Skelton. Copyright 2005 United Press International

___________________