Colorado Politics

Trump budget would boost Colorado Springs defense programs

The Pentagon on Tuesday released details on the Trump administration’s proposed $54 billion hike in defense spending, including proposals that boost programs in Colorado Springs and the Pikes Peak region.

The 2018 budget would increase spending for satellite programs, missile defense and the destruction of chemical weapons. The Air Force also would get an extra $2 billion to hire 4,000 more airmen.

The Trump budget would give a big increase to Air Force space programs, raising the budget to buy satellites, rockets and ground systems by more than $600 million, from $2.8 billion to $3.4 billion.

“Space continues to be an increasingly contested and congested environment as more commercial and government entities take advantage of space,” the Pentagon said in documents supporting its budget. “The Air Force remains committed to improving space situational awareness and its command and control advantage, while modernizing and recapitalizing key space capabilities central to the joint fight.”

Much of the extra space cash will go to buy missile warning and global positioning system satellites. Part of the money will pay to plan the future of Air Force space systems, including smaller satellites.

The budget also would boost spending on chemical weapons destruction programs, including work underway at the Pueblo Chemical Depot to destroy nearly 800,000 mustard gas shells. That spending would go from $708 million to $972 million under the Trump plan.

The Army worldwide would get a $9 billion increase in its operations and maintenance budget, making up for years of shrinking repair funds.

At Fort Carson, the money could be used to fix aging tanks, trucks and helicopters.

The Air Force would see a $4.5 billion increase in maintenance money.

The budget also has cash to make U.S. Cyber Command in Maryland a full combat command that will oversee America’s computer warfare efforts.

It also has cash that troops can take home – a 2.1 percent pay increase for everyone in uniform.

But the Pentagon wasn’t so generous with some programs.

The budget deals a blow to Defense Department efforts to clean up military pollution, including the perfluorinated compounds found in the Widefield Aquifer south of town. Defense clean-up budgets would tumble from $909 million to $800 million.

The budget, like past Pentagon plans in recent years, also calls for a new round of base closures in 2021. The Pentagon has asked for that for the past several years, but lawmakers have blocked the move.

 
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