The Defense Department is seeking $17.2 billion to buy weapon systems and equipment "critical" to operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as part of a $65.3 billion supplemental spending request that will soon be provided to lawmakers, according to Pentagon documents and officials.

Tina Jonas, the Defense Department's comptroller, is readying for Congress a 73-page justification of the Pentagon's fiscal year 2006 supplemental spending request that was broadly outlined by the White House in a letter to lawmakers on Feb. 16.

InsideDefense.com obtained a draft copy of the document, “Department of Defense Fiscal Year 2006 Supplemental Request for Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom,” which also includes $32.7 billion for operations and maintenance and $9.6 billion for personnel accounts.

This request lines up $16.4 billion for the “procurement of critical equipment” and $800 million for research, development, testing and evaluation the Pentagon says is required by ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The bulk of the procurement funds are set aside for ground forces, including: $10.8 billion for the Army; $3.9 billion for the Navy and Marine Corps; and $2 billion for the Air Force.

The Pentagon's request includes $3.4 billion to support Army efforts this year to reshape part of its force into 24 maneuver brigades and 39 support brigades across the active and reserve components. In addition, the request sets aside money to replace a wide range of equipment destroyed or lost in operations, including: $500 million to replace 16 Apache helicopters; $165 million to buy 18 Stryker vehicles, two of which are for Special Forces; $1.1 billion for technologies to defeat roadside bombs; $245 million for civilian logistics support; $410 million for armored humvees; $499 million for Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles; $692 million for SINGCARS radios; and $150 million for tactical unmanned aerial vehicles.

Funding in the supplemental would also propel Navy efforts to outfit its new expeditionary combat units with boats for river missions, training and equipment designed to directly contribute to the largely land-based operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Marine Corps is lined up for nearly $3 billion in new gear, including tank improvements, $258 million for new night vision equipment and $430 million for new radio systems.

And the Air Force is seeking $28 million in spare parts to maintain cargo aircraft that have suffered extensive wear and tear, $216 million to replace 3 MC-130H cargo aircraft lost in operations, and $53 million to replace nine Predator unmanned aerial vehicles. The Air Force is also seeking $1.3 billion for classified programs as well as considerably smaller sums for other needs, including armored humvees, a passenger bus, and communications equipment.

Collectively, the four services are seeking more than $1 billion to replenish ammunition stocks.

This $65.3 supplemental spending package is the Pentagon's second FY-06 spending request for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan; Congress has already provided the U.S. military a $50 billion bridge appropriation to cover costs incurred since Oct. 1, 2005. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the operations in Iraq and Afghanistan since Sept. 11, 2001, have cost $323 billion.

These supplemental spending requests are in addition to the Pentagon's baseline budget; the Defense Department earlier this month sent Congress a $439.3 billion request for fiscal year 2007.