Government Operations committee  I would say that we would always want someone to choose the lowest-cost course of action.

Government Operations committee  Mr. Chair, there is no institutional barrier to transferring money from the operating budget to the salary budget. DND is a very large and decentralized organization. Commanders at the base level have the discretion to manage their budget that way, but they are not obliged to. They have the flexibility within the overall financial management framework to move money back and forth.

Government Operations committee  We can certainly provide it. In fact, Mr. Chair, the information is available in the department's report on plans and priorities, which accompanies our main estimates, outlining the incremental costs of the mission in Afghanistan and the costs that are funded over and above the department's baseline.

National Defence committee  I think, Mr. Chair, that the member is referring to the line item called “Contribute to Canadian government, society and international community in accordance with Canadian interests and values”.

National Defence committee  I think, sir, what this reflects is simply a readjustment of the program activity architecture against which the main estimates are prepared. That money will have been redistributed across the other line items in the main estimates. The vice-admiral might be able to elaborate on that.

National Defence committee  Mr. Chair, as you will know, the Communications Security Establishment is located in dated facilities that really don't accommodate the growth that has been necessary there, given developments. This funding is to do the initial work to assess options for a longer-term accommodation strategy for the CSE.