Pentagon budget 2022: US Army eyes tactical level C4ISR investment

US Army officials are eyeing significant investment upticks in its tactical-level command, control, communications and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance portfolios, as part of the service’s fiscal year 2022 (FY 2022) budget blueprint.

The service’s total USD173 billion request for FY 2022 included a USD2.85 billion proposed spending plan for communications programmes, which represented a USD279 million increase for those accounts compared to the USD2.57 billion called for in the previous fiscal year. Within the communications portfolio, army leaders sought the largest increase in combat communications systems and platforms, according to service budget documents. The USD1.1 billion requested for those programmes is USD353 million more than the USD755 million service leaders outlined for those efforts in FY 2021.

That investment is part of the ground service’s overall FY 2022 budget request of USD173 billion, with USD154.5 billion in the base budget and USD18.4 billion combined for enduring costs and efforts tied to ongoing combat operations. The request, issued on 28 May, represents a USD4 billion reduction in requested army funds, compared to the service’s FY 2021 budget proposal of USD177 billion.

Intelligence communications programmes also saw a significant uptick in the ground service’s FY 2022 budget blueprint, with army leaders calling for USD39 million for those programmes, a USD19 million increase over the service’s FY 2021 request of USD20 million for those efforts. Joint communication technologies also saw a slight increase in FY 2022, with army officials outlining USD390 million for those investments representing a USD7 million increase compared to the service request the previous fiscal year. Command and control (C2) programmes also received an uptick in requested funds, with the ground service setting aside USD100 million for those coffers, a USD14 million increase to the FY 2020 request.