It’s all about the money. And for the Defense Department pinning down the exact cybersecurity figure is almost impossible.

The White House has proposed spending roughly $2.3 billion on cybersecurity in their 2012 budget. While at the same time the Air Force alone has requested $4.6 billion. That’s a $2 billion discrepancy.

NextGov reports the Air Force’s cyber figure differs from the White House’s cyber calculation – pegged at $440 million – because the service’s estimation includes “things” that are not typically considered information assurance or cybersecurity.

And it’s these “things” that make pinning down an exact cyber budget difficult.

Rob Burton, former Office of Federal Procurement Policy under the Bush Administration, says fuzzy cybersecurity budgets will likely result in the procurement cycle and you will end up with the government buying what it doesn’t need.

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily Cybersecurity Update brought to you by Tripwire. For more cybersecurity news, click here.

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