Special Forces and Weapons in the US Army Budget

Bayanalysis - The U.S. Army's 2022 budget for Special Operations Forces (SOF) reflects an emphasis on strategic competition by increasing funding for research, development, modernization, and expanded capabilities for advanced combat while strengthening crisis response and maintaining counterterrorism, CVEO, and coordination operations. The mission of the US Army is to combat weapons of mass destruction (CWMD), and continue to focus on preparedness.

Maintains SOF workforce growth and readiness, increases lethality through modernization and recapitalization, and continues to invest in new technologies that support SOF's unique requirements. This includes investments in precision strike systems, future vertical levitation (FVL), armed surveillance/targeting, and the next generation of surface and subsurface marine vehicles.

The US military continues to conduct very limited offensive operations in select theaters against extremists, all supported by coalition partners. The munitions of choice are usually accurate, low-lethal and limited range weapons, purchased at low cost, but highly effective against this target group.

These critical weapons provide significant utility across a range of conflicts, but are particularly suitable for uncontested access, and low-intensity conflicts.

And while the current demand signal has subsided, the administration continues to procure these vital weapons at economic rates in repeat annual purchases.

This commitment is vital to reduce risks to ammunition stockpiles in the near term and also to ensure that the strategic stockpile remains operational and ready to support operational plans worldwide.

Predicting munitions requirements remains a major challenge, given the scope of the field (land, sea, and air) that the Department covers, along with the range of combat effects required by different theaters of operations.

A parallel commitment to supporting and integrating coalition partner munitions needs with U.S. Army actions is similarly necessary to ensure successful collaborative combat operations.

Many munitions are precision guided, fired and then departed, with limited collateral damage and are used by more than one service and allies of the United States.

The recently increased requirements of all services, along with those of alliance partners, are collectively driving up demand at all levels of this vital industry.

Because munitions are unique military items, sub-tier suppliers do not have the commercial base to sustain their business during periods of declining funding.

The division's procurement ramp has increased over the past five years across this category of critical ordnance, and has successfully boosted industrial capacity among primary supply contractors for these select lines, resulting in high quality products, high production rates, on-time delivery and competitive pricing.

This success has allowed management to selectively adjust future prices down accordingly and shift off-year purchases toward high-performance tactical weapons systems for more advanced global threats.

Success against near-peer threats will depend on our ability to quickly take advantage of the performance and lethality that our arsenal brings to the battlefield.

Management continues to focus on a dual effort. First, ensure that US stockpiles of ammunition around the world are adequately stocked by adjusting future purchase ramps accordingly.

Second, increased procurement of sophisticated and more advanced weapon systems, which provide more confrontation, enhanced lethality, and independent targeting to employ against pear-like threats in more contested environments.

This family of weapons systems, which includes cruise missiles such as the Joint Air-to-Surface Missile (JASSM), are essential to our national security, and accordingly, the administration has ramped up procurement to ensure that better stock levels are achieved as quickly as possible.

The administration also continues to modernize the Navy's Tomahawk cruise missile and add increased capability to the SM-6, both improvements providing increased lethal force across a broader range of advanced target groups.

In addition, the ground-launch capability of these missiles is being pursued which will provide better coverage of critical/strategic target groups.

The FY2022 budget has invested in both critical procurement streams, shifting and balancing priorities, contributing equally to strengthening the administration's lethal position and our national security.