Pass-Through’s Effect on the DAF’s Budget
February 21, 2024
Dear Chairman Reed and Ranking Member Wicker:
Currently, 20 percent of the Department of the Air Force’s budget “passes through” to other governmental programs. In 2020, this totaled $39.2 billion and increased to $44 billion last year. With the Air Force’s responsibilities growing exponentially in the Pacific and Europe, the Air and Space Force Association (“AFA”) believes Congress and the public must be able to make an apples-to-apples comparison of the investment they are making in the Air Force and Space Force’s capabilities.
Congress addressed this issue in the Fiscal Year 2023 Omnibus Act. The Act stated the Secretary of Defense and Director of National Intelligence MAY conduct a study which discusses some of the points of contention in Pass-Through debate. Unfortunately, the AFA is unaware of any such report being written. Therefore, in order resolve this issue, the AFA respectfully requests the congressional defense committees direct the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence to commission an independent research organization to perform an analysis of the positive and negative effects that “Pass-Through” has on the Department of the Air Force’s budget.
This independent organization will be charged with determining, based upon its analysis, if “Pass-Through” has a negative impact on the budgetary resources allocated to the Department of Air Force. The report will also identify the monetary value gained by the other military departments and services because of “Pass-Through”. Finally, the report will determine if “Pass-Through” creates an incorrect impression among policy makers and the public as to Air and Space Forces true budget and if that impression is detrimental to the Department of the Air Force.
Therefore, the AFA respectfully requests the congressional defense committees direct the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence to commission an independent research organization to perform an analysis of the positive and negative effects that “Pass-Through” has on the Department of the Air Force’s budget.
Sincerely,
Bernie Skoch, Brig Gen, USAF (Ret.)
Chair of the Board
Bruce “Orville” Wright, Lt Gen, USAF (Ret.)
President & CEO