Rapid Fire April 8, 2013: Department of Denial FY14 Budget Preview

• The Pentagon will ask for $526.6B in the President Budget to be rolled out on Wednesday, according to Bloomberg. Pretending that sequestration does not exist worked out so well, they’re about to do it again with the FY14 budget. The House of Representatives will have a timely hearing on mental health research on the very same day.

• The answer [PDF] from CSBA’s Todd Harrison: “[T]he current cycle of managing from budget crisis to budget crisis is preventing the Pentagon from managing for the long term. To break out of this cycle, DoD should accept the reality of the budget caps currently in effect and begin planning for this lower level of funding.”

• Boeing’s F/A-XX will come in manned and unmanned versions, with a choice of liveries going from subdued light grey to bold Navy blue, and will provide “greatly increased range and offer far superior kinematic performance.” The nice things you get when pretend budgets meet unknown future tech.