The US Defense Department sent $ 1.5 billion from the funds earmarked for financing, the Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) modernization program, as well as airborne early warning and control (DRLO) aircraft, to build a wall on the border with Mexico, The Washington Post reported. 

The funds allocated will go to the construction of about 130 km of the wall. The department said that the transfer of funds will not have a negative impact on combat readiness. Earlier, officials of the Washington administration recognized that the money could be spent on other military projects that lacked funding.

The leadership of the US Air Force have repeatedly stated the need to modernize Minuteman III in connection with its outdated ground infrastructure. The modernization plan for the ICBM command center is slightly delayed, so the Pentagon transfers some of the funds allocated for the improvement of the ICBM program.

According to the source, the defense ministry also uses the funds that were supposed to go to finance operations in Afghanistan.

The document does not indicate how much money from each program was redistributed. In addition to $ 1.5 billion, the Pentagon allots about $4.6 billion for the construction of the wall that were aimed to be spending on the construction of military facilities. Such a move by the American government caused discontent among Democrats in Congress.

The US leader Donald Trump on February 15 signed a declaration on the introduction of the state of emergency on the southern border of the country. As explained in the White House, this will allow the head of state to accumulate a total of about $ 8 billion. The US administration intends to spend all of these funds for the construction or repair of fences on the 376.5 km border with Mexico. The government believes that this will help the authorities curb illegal immigration and drug smuggling.