CIAO DATE: 07/02

The New American Approach to Defense: The FY2003 Program Notes on Homeland Defense, Counterterrorism, Asymmetric Warfare, and Force Transformation

The US is Redefining Security:

• Three major areas in which the US is redefining defense:
• Homeland defense
• Force Transformation
• Nuclear Posture Review

Overall Homeland Defense Spending ₁

• Nearly double spending on homeland security by pouring unprecedented amounts of money into fighting bioterrorism, tightening border controls, improving airline security and helping firefighters.
• Bush's first budget since the terror and anthrax attacks of last fall proposes $37.7 billion for homeland defense in the year that starts Oct. 1, compared with $19.5 billion in the current year.
• Adds extra cash for faster anthrax tests, twice as many guards on the Canadian border, better equipment for firefighters and easier information-sharing among federal agencies.
• "If there was any proposal linked to defeating terrorism or to making Americans more safe at home that had even a reasonable case for it, we agreed and rolled it into the budget," White House budget director Mitch Daniels said.
• Among the highlights:
• $5.9 billion to fight bioterrorism, which the budget plan calls "a new American vulnerability laid bare" by the anthrax attacks. A big infusion of cash would pay for research and development, state and local health systems, federal stockpiles for treating victims, and improved communications.

Full Text (PDF, 31 pages, 100K)

Endnotes

Note 1: Much of the text is a modified form of various materials in the FY2003 budget briefing of the Homeland Security Office. Back