The Department of Defense is preparing changes to its budget request for this current fiscal year (FY2017). In a memo, Secretary Mattis states that the department will seek changes to its original request, to address shortfalls in warfighting readiness and the accelerated campaign against ISIS. The new request will lead to a higher overall request for the agency for FY2017 and will likely lead to decreases or smaller increases in “lower priority” programs. It is unclear whether research programs will be impacted by the revised budget. The new request will be submitted by March 1.
The same memo states that the FY2018 budget request will be delivered by May 1 and will focus on “balancing the program, addressing pressing programmatic shortfalls, while continuing to build readiness.” Finally, a five-year plan (FY2019-2023) for the Pentagon will seek to push reforms, including horizontal integration across the agency.