Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley says that he believes DOD will return the $880 million it lifted from the Air Force personnel account to support current Army operations. He told defense reporters in Washington April 24 that money is set to come out of fourth quarter funds, so there is no immediate concern. It will become a concern toward the end of the summer, though, when USAF must have it to pay military personnel. Asked if he had any concern about getting it back, Moseley said: “I don’t want to have concerns. … It would be a breach of faith to take MilPers money out of a service and then fast forward a couple of quarters and then just say eat it.”
The emphasis on speed in the Pentagon’s newly unveiled slate of acquisition reforms may come with increased near-term cost increases, analysts say. But according to U.S. defense officials, the new weapons-buying construct provides the military with enough flexibility to prevent runaway budget overruns in major programs.
