FY '99 Program Support Budget Request

The purpose of NOAA's program support activities is to provide to the programs and people within NOAA the administrative and infrastructure support necessary for the programs to meet their missions and for the agency to meet its broader goals. These functions include management of personnel, procurement and systems acquisition, facilities, administrative services, ADP services, and aircraft support.

For FY 1999, Program Support requests $68.6 million. This reflects a program increase of $0.1 million, and program decreases of $2.4 million from the FY 1999 base.

Detailed Program Changes

Systems Acquisition Office (SAO) - The Systems Acquisition office is being transferred to the Department of Commerce to provide acquisition support to projects across all Department agencies. Accordingly, SAO base funding of $1,420,000 is being transferred from NOAA to the Department General Administration Fund in FY 1999.

Retired Pay/Disestablishment Costs - NOAA requests a decrease of $1.0 million in this line item. NOAA assumes the NOAA Corps Disestablishment legislative package will be enacted in FY 1998, and that costs for benefits to retired officers will be assumed by the Department of Defense in FY 1998. NOAA also assumes that the transition will begin in FY 1998 with final disestablishment costs incurred in FY 1999. Disestablishment costs include costs such as conversion benefits and last moves home.

Aircraft Services - This subactivity supports all of NOAA's aircraft support services. NOAA operates uniquely configured aircraft to perform NOAA's missions including hurricane research and reconnaissance, snow surveys to support water conservation and flood control, photogrammetry for charting, marine mammals surveys, and airborne lidar hydrographic surveys. These aircraft directly support timely and accurate storm and weather warnings and forecasts, accurate charts for safe navigation, effective stewardship of living marine resources, and studies which increase our understanding of ocean and atmospheric processes and the effects of pollution on habitats, air and ocean quality, and climate change.

The Aircraft Services request includes an increase of $0.1 million for operation of the G-IV high altitude jet. This funding will increase G-IV flight hours for winter storm surveillance and provide funding for required dropwindsondes.