1994 Defense Budget

This report reviews the Defense Department's (DOD) budget request for fiscal year 1994 and prior years' appropriations for research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) programs. Schedule delays, changes in program requirements, and uncertainties have affected RDT&E funding requirements for fiscal year 1994 as well as prior years' appropriations. GAO identified potential budget cuts of about $473 million and rescissions from prior years' appropriations of nearly $43 million. GAO also identified about $958 million in requested funding that Congress can restrict.

GAO found that: (1) schedule delays, program requirement changes, and uncertainties have affected RDT&E funding requests for 1994 and prior year appropriations; (2) potential budget reductions totalled $472.6 million, prior year rescissions totalled $42.7 million, and congressional restrictions on DOD obligational authority totalled $958.3 million; (3) potential reductions in the Army's RDT&E request totalled $14.1 million, rescissions in the Army's 1992 and 1993 funding request totalled $16.8 million, and restrictions on the Army's 1994 obligational authority totalled $21.9 million; (4) potential reductions in the Navy's 1994 RDT&E request total $8.4 million, and rescissions in the Navy's FY 1992 and 1993 funding request totalled $18.5 million; (5) potential reductions in the Air Force's 1994 RDT&E request total $415.3 million, rescissions to the Air Force's FY 1992 and 1993 funding request totalled $7.4 million, and restrictions on the Air Force's 1994 obligational authority total $142.4 million; (6) potential reductions in multiservice appropriations totalled $34.8 million; and (7) restrictions on DOD-wide 1994 RDT&E requests totalled $766.8 million.