WASHINGTON  — The fiscal year 2017 budget is on track to be delivered on time, and will feature limited numbers of new programs, the Pentagon comptroller said Friday.

"I think that we are on track to finish on time and have what [Defense Secretary Ash Carter] will be comfortable recommending," Mike McCord told reporters.  "Given that the [budget] deal came so early in November, I can't think of a very good excuse why we wouldn't have it ready on time."

McCord added that he was "really surprised" by how quickly the budget deal in Congress came together, noting widespread pessimism about the potential for a long-term continuing resolution or budget shutdown in the weeks that led up to the agreement.

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The comptroller said to expect a focus on Carter’s priorities – the Force of the Future initiative and the so-called "third offset" of technology development. 

However, the budget will likely prioritize keeping existing programs on track versus new-start technology.

"I don't know that there will be a raft of new programs," McCord said. "I don't think that's probably very likely. Hopefully we'll be able to move forward on [the Air Force's Long Range Strike-Bomber program] and things like that in this budget."

Asked to elaborate later in the interview, McCord reiterated his belief that new programs may get sidelined.

"We have already looked through a bunch of portfolios and looked where we would like to make additional investments. One of the things a situation like this entails is, probably, you will just get to make less investments," he said. "The hard decisions, among the hardest decisions, are would you decide to make the force any smaller, knowing you have a reduced topline? That's a hard call to make with a one-year signal, so that's probably not as likely in the current circumstance."

While acknowledging some of the budget decisions will be driven by the fight against the Islamic State, better known as ISIL or ISIS, and the ongoing challenge of Russian intervention in both Ukraine and Syria, McCord said those would be "largely confined" to the overseas contingency operations (OCO) fund stream.


Email: amehta@defensenews.com
Twitter: @AaronMehta

About Aaron Mehta

Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.

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