The Department of Defense has identified several more military programs that will be used as sources of funds to build part of President Trump’s border wall with Mexico. According to a document reviewed by The Washington Post, the Pentagon will shift $1.5 billion originally intended for projects including:
- Updates to the Minuteman III ballistic missile system, which will be delayed.
- The Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) program.
- A “space test experiment” by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
- The new Blended Retirement System, which Pentagon officials said was less popular than expected.
- Two funds that support coalition forces and Afghan troops within the Overseas Contingency Operations budget, which is intended to be used for war-fighting efforts.
While the Post did not report individual dollar amounts for each program, the Associated Press said that the OCO account would provide $604 million in reprogrammed funds, the largest single sum in the group. The AP also said that $251 million would come from a project targeting chemical weapons, while various Air Force programs would be contributing $344 million and the retirement system would add $224 million.
The Pentagon previously identified $1 billion that was being reprogrammed from Army personnel recruiting accounts, as well as $3.6 billion that was being redirected from military construction projects.
