$849B budget for DoD included in Biden's FY2025 budget bill; $9.9B slated for Pacific initiative
The fiscal 2025 budget was released by the U.S. Department of Defense and includes specific mentions of the Pacific region.
Other military construction initiatives are also moving forward.
On March 11, the Biden-Harris Administration submitted to Congress a proposed fiscal 2025 budget request of $849.8 billion for the Department of Defense.
The budget request “includes critical investments to strengthen deterrence in the Indo-Pacific, including ballistic missile-defense activities in support of Guam,” according to a March 12 release from the U.S. Department of Defense, CHamoru Standard Time.
Specifically included is $9.9 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative. Port of Malakal in Koror, Palau. Wikipedia photo
Also included for personnel is a 4.5% pay increase … and annual rate increases for both housing and subsistence allowances, $245.3 million for a proposed substantial increase to the Income Eligibility Threshold for Basic Needs Allowance, an allowance designed to provide extra support to Service members and families who qualify, and “more than $120 million in additional funding for commissaries to provide our service members with food savings of over 25% compared to the local marketplace,” $2 billion to support family housing to provide safe, high-quality residences for Service members and their families, and $1.1 billion in unaccompanied housing or barracks construction.”
The budget also OIA includes $119 million in current appropriations and $2 billion in permanent funding for the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Office of Insular Affairs, according to a release at the same time from the OIA.
“The budget request for current appropriations contains a total of $4 million in proposed increases from the FY 2024 Annualized Continuing Resolution level, including $1.0 million to support critical infrastructure needs in the Territories, $1.0 million for compliance with the Insular Areas Act (Public Law (P.L.) 112-149) related to groundwater monitoring of Runit Dome, and $700,000 to address additional conservation needs for the Insular Areas,” the OIA release said.
On March 7, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a pre-bid notification for Indefinite Delivery Architect-Engineer Services Contract for $190 million, with responses due April 9.
The pre-bid is for “various military and civil works projects” in Hawaii, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kwajalein Atoll and American Samoa, with a base period of five years.
GHD-COWI JV, San Diego, Calif., was awarded a $27.84 million modification to a previously awarded task order for “architect-engineering services to support Navy construction projects” in Malakal port in Palau; and Yap port in the FSM, taking the task order to $49.03 million.
According to GHD, “Key investments in projects like these are part of the Pacific Deterrence Initiative … .”
