The Defense Department will continue to request funding for operations in Afghanistan even after U.S. combat troops return home from that country, Bloomberg reported Thursday.
Tony Capaccio writes that outgoing Pentagon Comptroller Robert Hale said overseas contingency operations budget will pay for post-war equipment repair and coalition support needs.
âI think thereâs a reasonable chance that they would last for several years at least,â Hale told Bloomberg in a recent interview.
He added that DoD seeks to broaden war spending coverage by adding the proposed $5 billion Counterterrorism Partnerships Fund and $1 billion European Reassurance Initiative, according to Bloomberg.
The White House is slated to unveil a budget request for the department’s combat missions Friday.
Capaccio writes that Hale, who steps down Friday, recalled his leadership experience during tight budgetary controls and said his office’s achievement âwas that we were able to meet the resource needs of the department in such tumultuous times.”