$23.1 billion! The Pentagon’s secret intelligence budget hits a 9-year high, US media: this alone exceeds Turkey’s total military expenditure
[Global Times Comprehensive Report] The Pentagon’s Secret Intelligence Fund received as much as $23.1 billion in congressional funding in fiscal year 2020, setting a record for nearly 9 years.
According to the latest data disclosed by the US "Defense News" on the 21st, the Pentagon's funding for this item alone exceeds the total military expenditure of a medium military power such as Turkey (about 20.6 billion US dollars).
Data map: US soldiers walk through the Javits Center in New York, USA.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Liao Pan
The Pentagon made only a very short statement on this secret appropriation called the "Military Intelligence Program," declaring that the funds include the basic budget and overseas emergency operations expenses and are "intended to support national defense strategies."
The statement said: "It has been determined that the release of this revenue figure will not endanger any classified activities in the military intelligence program, but will not release other military intelligence program budget figures or plan details." The report mentioned that the U.S. military usually has to wait until the end of the fiscal year. Only announced the specific amount allocated for the fund.
The Pentagon requested less than $23 billion in funding in its 2020 fiscal year budget, and the newly announced figures mean that Congress has voluntarily increased its allocations.
According to the 2019 Congressional Research Service report, the "Military Intelligence Program" funding "is designed to provide funding for defense intelligence activities that support operational and tactical intelligence priorities."
Among other purposes, these funds can also be used to "promote the dissemination of information related to foreign or political groups, and secret activities against political and military groups or individuals."
In addition, the US Special Operations Command has also benefited from this. The department is currently working to purchase manned and unmanned aircraft and equip them with advanced intelligence reconnaissance, surveillance, and data storage capabilities to function in a variety of environments.
"Defense News" stated that the "Military Intelligence Program" budget was as high as 27 billion U.S. dollars in fiscal year 2010 and reached 24 billion U.S. dollars in fiscal year 2011.
But it dropped to its lowest point in fiscal 2015 ($16.5 billion).
Since then, the rise has gradually resumed, and it was $21.5 billion in fiscal 2019.
The overall US intelligence budget consists of two parts, the "Military Intelligence Program" and the "National Intelligence Program."
The latter includes plans and projects of all intelligence systems (such as the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, etc.), but does not include intelligence activities that are only used to support military operations. The allocation for fiscal year 2019 is 59.9 billion US dollars.
(Chenyang)