Army ponders spending priorities.

• Position: Washington Pulse - Brief Article

An Army program to ramp up production of body armor and other essential equipment for troops in Iraq and Afghanistan so far has run up a $5 billion bill, which will be enough to equip 840,000 soldiers by the end of 2007. The project, called "rapid fielding initiative," has been funded entirely with congressional supplemental appropriations for the war, raising concerns about how the Army will be able to afford the project after the add-ons run out.

"We are hoping for supplementals. But what happens after?" asked Lt. Gen. Joseph L. Yakovac Jr., the Army's top acquisition officer.

The issue has stirred criticism of the...