Fully and properly equip troops

Increased spending for military hardware

Updated: Monday, January 11th, 2010 | By Alex Holt

During the 2008 campaign, Barack Obama promised to "listen to our ground commanders when they tell us what kinds of technology and skills they need to fight most effectively," and to "prioritize getting vitally needed equipment to our soldiers and Marines before lives are lost."

In the 2010 Defense spending bill, Congress actually appropriated more money than requested by the Obama administration for "equipment and force structure." This is significant considering the president's budget already had large requests for force protection.

Congress approved $6.3 billion for Mine-Resistant, Ambush-Protected vehicles, over $800 million more than requested by the Obama administration. The heavily armored MRAPs have proven to be extremely effective against improvised explosive devices and have helped significantly decrease the number of fatalities in Iraq due to IEDs.

Obama also promised to listen to commanders on the ground about the kinds of technology they need. Overwhelmingly, commanders have asked for unmanned aerial vehicles, and Congress set aside over a billion dollars to procure new UAVs, including 24 new MQ-9 Reapers.

Although the president and Congress have spent a lot of money increasing force protection, this remains an ongoing issue. We're going to continue to monitor President Obama's actions. But for now, we're rating this In the Works.

Sources:Obama campaign, "A 21st Century Military for America," accessed Jan. 11, 2010

Committee on Appropriations, "FY2010 Defense Appropriations" Dec 15, 2009

USA Today, "Roadside Bombs Decline in Iraq" by Tom Vanden Brook, Jun 22, 2008