Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said during a news conference that the $70 billion emergency supplemental request will fund operations through the first quarter of fiscal 2009.

ìWhy we are submitting just a partial amount is predicated on a couple of things, one of which is the fact that Ö we havenít gotten our money thatís needed and has been requested for fiscal year í08 yet to fight the global war on terror,î he said.

The department is still waiting for Congress to approve $102 billion for this fiscal year, Morrell said. During his State of the Union address last night, Bush asked Congress to approve the 2008 supplemental funding request quickly.

How much the department will need is based on events on the ground, Morrell said. Trends in Iraq are positive, but Pentagon officials want to hear the reports of Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, Multinational Force Iraq commander; Navy Adm. William J. Fallon, U.S. Central Command chief; and the Joint Chiefs of Staff before making budgeting decisions.

ìSo we are submitting the $70 billion request with the anticipation that at some point we will go back to the Congress and ask for what else is needed in fiscal year í09,î Morrell said.