CP: Afghan war spending may lead to ships being tied up: documents

[tuvor]

OTTAWA — Both the navy and air force's slice of the National Defence budget pie is being increasingly chewed up by the war in Afghanistan, federal documents reveal.

Background records, released as part of the Feb. 26 federal budget, acknowledge what members of the Forces have been saying privately for months: that the deployment in Kandahar is forcing the military to rob Peter to pay Paul.

The records say the war will "affect current defence planning" and additional costs not picked up by the federal Treasury Board will be absorbed in the overall defence budget.

In some cases it "will direct funding away from routine equipment and infrastructure maintenance."

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