Replacing and Repairing Equipment Used in Iraq and Afghanistan: The Army's Reset Program

摘要

To support its forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. Army has transferred hundreds of thousands of pieces of equipment to the theater (which comprises not only Iraq and Afghanistan but also surrounding areas) and in most cases has brought that equipment back to the United States after about a year. Because of the pace of operations in the theater and the harsh conditions in Southwest Asia, that returning equipment requires repair, reconditioning, and in some instances replacement. The Army refers to the process of bringing returned equipment back up to operating standards as 'reset,' and each returned item undergoes that process if it is to be retained. The Army thus far has received $38 billion to reset more than 300,000 pieces of major equipment; the service estimates that it will continue to need approximately $13 billion annually for such purposes for as long as the war in Iraq continues at its current level and for at least two years after U.S. forces are withdrawn. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) examined the Army's estimates of the funds needed to meet the requirements of its reset program and the funds that the Administration has requested and received for that purpose from 2005 through 2007. On the basis of the number of forces in the theater and the equipment being returned to Army units' home stations each year, CBO also estimated the annual costs to replace, repair, and recondition the major types of the Army's returning equipment--specifically, helicopters, combat vehicles, and trucks.