Re: Viewpoint on AJPO funding and budget cuts

[keith@sunpix.UUCP ( Sun Visualization Products)]

In article <545@cs.nps.navy.mil> schweige@cs.nps.navy.mil (Jeffrey M. Schweiger) writes:
##From arny@cbnewsl.ATT.COM (arny.b.engelson):
### I just read an article in Government Computer News that really bothered me.
### [...] out of $11.2 million, $7.87 million is allotted to the ALS/N effort.
### [...] I believe the AJPO should be concentrating the bulk of its efforts 
### (and $$$) on more generally useful jobs, [...]
#
#I'll try to check this out, but I seem to recall, that in effect, the Navy
#is paying for ALS/N.  I believe that this money originally came out of the
#Navy's budget.  I vaguely remember that Congress took the ALS/N project away
#from the Navy, including all funding an gave to AJPO a couple of years ago.
#The Navy may still be paying the tab on ALS/N, just sending it to AJPO.  The
#fact that AJPO's projected budget is $11.2 million doesn't indicate where
#that money is coming from initially. [...]

As a former ALS/Ner (technical, not management, so take this
money talk with a grain of salt) who left partly due to the perception of 
shaky funding, I believe Jeff is essentially correct.   Approximately
two years ago, ALS/N funding was moved from the Navy to the AJPO
partly as a way to provide higher visibility of the funds.  I believe
the rationale for this was that this provided fewer ways for admirals
to get their hands on the money for their own pet projects.

I am almost positive that the money is still coming out of Navy
pocketbooks, though, because I remember anxiously tracking money
through the various stages:  Congress ... Navy ... AJPO ...
Program Office ... Control Data ... AH, a paycheck!!!