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The fiscal 2011 budget proposed by U.S. President Barack Obama calls for billions of dollars in heightened counterterror funding, allocating additional money for U.S. special operations units, unmanned aircraft and a new cyber command, the Associated Press reported yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 3).
The increase in military funding is part of an Obama administration effort to concentrate on regions that harbor terrorist organizations and militants, where plans might be hatched for a new strike against the United States.
Funding for counterinsurgency in Pakistan would grow to $1.2 billion in the next fiscal year, up significantly from $700 million spent in total in 2009 and 2010. Defense Department funds spent in Yemen are expected to more than double, with roughly $140 million slated for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, the wire service reported.
The increased counterterror funding request comes as top intelligence officials testified earlier this week that an attempted terrorist attack on the United States within the next six months is "certain."
Money in the budget is intended to combat a broader set of dangers, including al-Qaeda and other militants, adversarial nations, cyber attacks, and radiological "dirty bomb" threats (Lolita Baldor, Associated Press/ Yahoo!News, Feb. 4).