	Military Construction Funding Trends, FY2010-FY2012

		Appropriations Overview

On February 14, 2011, President Barack Obama submitted to Congress his request for military construction appropriations to support federal government operations during FY2012, which will begin on October 1, 2011 (see Table 1 ). These titles are not addressed in this report. During the first years of active military engagement in CENTCOM, such construction was paid for through a series of emergency supplemental appropriations. In recent years, the Obama Administration has moved this funding into the regular appropriations process, designating it as "Title IV (OCO)" military construction. Therefore, the total military construction and family housing appropriation that would be enacted in this bill would come to $14.4 billion—$14.2 billion in new budget authority and $0.2 billion in unexpired, unobligated funds reclaimed from previous fiscal years. Funding enacted for FY2010 and FY2011, the President's request for FY2012, and H.R. Separate from the 2005 BRAC round, DOD announced plans to permanently move one of the Navy's aircraft carriers from its home port of Norfolk, VA, to a new duty station in Mayport, FL. Currently, the naval station at Norfolk is the sole Navy facility along the nation's eastern or southern coasts with the needed facilities and capacity to service a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Guam Redeployment

The two governments have also agreed to move approximately 8,000 Marines from their present garrisons in Okinawa to facilities in the U.S. 2055 , the FY2012 military construction appropriation bill, the Senate Committee on Appropriations reiterated its concerns, stating that
Due to the lack of verifiable cost estimates for the Guam buildup, the failure of DOD to submit to the congressional defense committees a comprehensive master plan for the initiative, and continuing uncertainty over the ability of the Government of Japan to fulfill its commitment to relocate United States troops on Okinawa, the Committee has deferred funding for fiscal year 2012 military construction projects associated with the relocation of United States Marines to Guam. Nevertheless, Section 2208 of S. 1253 , the Senate's version of the NDAA for 2012, would bar the obligation or expenditure of any appropriated funds or funds provided to the United States by the Government of Japan to implement the Marine relocation to Guam until the Commandant of the Marine Corps provides to the congressional defense committees his "preferred force lay-down" in the Pacific Region and the Secretary of Defense provides a master construction plan supporting that lay-down, certifies that "tangible progress" has been made on the relocation of MCAS Futenma, and provides an interagency plan for the work necessary on Guam's non-military facilities to prepare for the relocation. Forces, Korea (USFK) and U.S. Army and Air Force units are being concentrated into two large military communities centered on Osan Air Base and Camp Humphreys, south of the capital. Additionally, tours of duty for military personnel are being lengthened, and servicemembers will soon be permitted to bring their families with them, significantly increasing the size of those communities. Africa Command (AFRICOM)

Until U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) was activated in 2008, military affairs on the continent were the responsibility of EUCOM. Funds for the construction of two headquarters buildings at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti, were requested in FY2011. Since its creation, AFRICOM headquarters has been located in Germany. CENTCOM has been the primary focal point of U.S. military operations since early 2002. FY2012 Appropriations

The President submitted his FY2012 appropriation request for military construction and family housing to Congress on February 14, 2011, and the House passed its version of the Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act ( H.R. The overall level of funding in the President's request represents a 17.1% ($3.0 billion) reduction below the combined Title I (military construction) and Title IV (Overseas Contingency Operations construction) amount enacted for FY2011. The President's FY2012 request is less than one-quarter of the amount needed during the last year of BRAC construction and movement. Even though the FY2012 base budget request includes $80 million in construction for Afghanistan, plus another $137 million elsewhere in Central Command, this marks a substantial reduction in construction activity in the area of the most intense U.S. military operations. 2055 ) on June 14, 2011.
This report focuses on those government activities funded under the FY2012 military construction appropriation, examines trends in military construction funding, and outlines military construction issues extant in each of the major regions of U.S. military activity.
President Barack Obama submitted his FY2012 appropriations request to Congress on February 14, 2011. His military construction appropriations request for $14.7 billion in new budget authority fell approximately $9.9 billion below the amount enacted for FY2010 and $3.0 billion below that enacted for FY2011. Much of that reduction came from military base closure accounts. Initiated in late 2005, the current base realignment and closure (BRAC) round is expected to conclude in September 2011. Funding needed in FY2010 and FY2011 for construction and movement of organizations will not be needed in FY2012 and subsequent years. In addition, the President requested less regular military construction for FY2012 than in earlier years. Finally, funding for construction supporting Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO, or active military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan), appropriations for which totaled $1.4 billion in FY2010 and $1.3 billion in FY2011, has been virtually eliminated, with only $217 million in the regular FY2012 appropriation requested for construction within U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The first military construction bill (H.R. 2055) was passed by the House on June 14, 2011.
Construction issues within the United States center on relocations associated with BRAC movements; the proposed transfer of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier from Norfolk, VA, to Mayport, FL; the potential to move detainees from Naval Station Guantanamo; and the possible expansion of the Army's Piñon Canyon Maneuver Site.
In the Pacific region, topics of major interest include planned relocations of U.S. Marine forces within the Japanese Prefecture of Okinawa and from Okinawa to the U.S. Territory of Guam; movement of U.S. garrisons in the Republic of Korea; and normalization of duty there, which will lengthen tours and bring many more military families to Korea.
Troops are also moving within Europe and redeploying to the United States. Active duty military personnel stationed in Europe now number only one-quarter of the force present in 1980, and garrisons in Germany are being concentrated into two large military communities near Landstuhl and Vilseck. At least one major combat formation scheduled to move to the United States during the past few years has been retained at its garrison in Germany pending a military basing review.
Military responsibility for much of Africa is now exercised by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM). Though headquartered in Germany, AFRICOM has one enduring military garrison site on the continent, at Camp Lemonier, Djibouti. Press accounts have indicated that a new permanent home for AFRICOM headquarters might be located in southeastern Virginia.
Southwest Asia, the area of responsibility for CENTCOM, has seen ongoing military operations for almost a decade. Since FY2004, Congress has given DOD special authority to use some operations and maintenance funds for military construction outside of the normal appropriations process. Both House and Senate versions of the National Defense Authorization Act for 2012 would extend that authority into FY2012. Funds for military construction had been provided through special emergency supplemental appropriations, but beginning in FY2010, these funds were folded into the base budget—though still categorized separately from normal construction requests. CENTCOM construction has fallen with the FY2012 request.