Budget Highlights Book - DON FM&C Website - U.S. Navy

February 2010Integrating Sustained Support for Warfighting NeedsSECTION II – INTEGRATING SUSTAINED SUPPORTFOR THE WARFIGHTERThe service and sacrifice of Sailors and Marines is a daily reminder that we are anation at war. We continue to impose local sea control, sustain power ashore andrepresent a major strategic role in Iraqand Afghanistan by providing criticalforce protection requirements, training,equipment, and assistance to our coalitionpartners. To deal with these challenges,we must always be ready to assume newmissions—today and tomorrow. Toensure our continuing success, we mustbe adequately resourced to fully achievethe mission goals and objectives of theCommander‐in‐Chief. To integrate requirements for today’s warfighters and sustainCombatant Commander requirements, funding for Overseas ContingencyOperations is part of the FY 2011 budget request.NAVY AND MARINE CORPS SUPPORTOur overseas force posture is shaped principally by ongoing and projectedoperational commitments. FY 2011 continues the transition process, begun in mid‐2009, of shifting Marine Corps operations in theater from Iraq to Afghanistan. ByMarch 2010, there will be more than 18,500 Marines in Afghanistan, and by mid‐April, that number will grow to a robust Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) of19,400 Marines. By February of 2010, Iraq‐based Marine presence will be reduced tominimal forces amounting to approximately 400 Individual Augmentees (IAs),engaged in security cooperation and civil‐military advisory operations. This Iraqpresence will remain in‐place pending the completion of operational commitmentsin Iraq. The shift in the emphasis of operational theater focus also will require thatnaval forces provide greater support to the Afghanistan theater, both in the conductof direct operational missions, as well as increased combat support for U. S. andcoalition forces on the ground, generating higher optempo demand related to theFY 2011 Department of the Navy Budget 2‐1