The Marine Corps is requesting billions of dollars in additional funding to repair and buy new equipment for the Afghanistan surge. A senior official told Congress yesterday that the Corps’ requirements for equipment “reset” have jumped by $4 billion in recent months. Additionally, Marines will need about $5 billion for new hardware.

“Reset” is military-speak for repairing and refurbishing equipment worn out by combat. Congress so far has allocated $14 billion for Marine Corps reset programs. Gen. James Amos, assistant commandant of the Marine Corps, in July testified at a House Armed Services Committee hearing that the Corps needed an additional $6 billion to replace damaged or lost vehicles and weapons.

The $20 billion equipment bill now could reach $29 billion. In proceedings before the same panel yesterday, Amos said that estimates for reset costs had jumped by about $4 billion in the five-month interim. He also expects Marines will need $5 billion more for new equipment for Afghanistan, where the harsh environment takes a big toll on vehicles and weapons. The hearing, where Amos testified along with Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Peter Chiarelli, was a continuation of a July hearing that had been interrupted by other House votes.

These estimates could grow, Amos said. “It’s not something that you can nail down today … it will continue to change the longer we’re engaged,” he said. Part of the funding would come from the 2010 war supplemental budget, which Congress has yet to approve.

The Corps is facing logistical difficulties in transitioning hardware from Iraq to Afghanistan, Amos said. Equipment that originally was going to be sent back to the United States for repairs is now being redirected to Afghanistan. As a result, contractors and temporary workers at the Marine Corps depots in Barstow, Calif., and Albany, Ga., have been laid off, he said. In anticipation of the Afghanistan buildup, a "big chunk" of the Corps’ equipment in Kuwait was prepped for that conflict, he added. The buildup of 30,000 troops will include roughly 22,000 soldiers and 8,000 marines.

In the long term, the Marine Corps also must decide how best to recapitalize its vehicle fleets, he said. “We have a dilemma within the Marine Corps about what are we going to do. Will we continue to recapitalize and reset with more humvees? Or are we going to try to find an interim vehicle with a v-shaped hull ... That’s what we’re struggling with right now and we’re working through that,” said Amos.

National Defense will report on the Marine Corps’ modernization plans in the February issue.