THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 4, 1996 TAG: 9605040345
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY DALE EISMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Long : 101 lines
Their zeal to balance the federal budget by 2002 isn't keeping congressional Republicans from proposing massive increases in the Clinton administration's military budget plan for 1997, apparently signaling a new election-year drive to depict the president as soft on defense.
Defense authorization bills cleared this week by the House National Security Committee and the Senate Armed Services Committee would provide the Pentagon with about $13 billion more next year than the $253 billion the White House recommended in March.
The proposed increases come after weeks of attacks on the administration's plan by GOP congressional leaders. With Sen. Bob Dole, a wounded and decorated veteran of World War II, as their presidential nominee, Republicans see President Clinton especially vulnerable to attack on defense matters. Clinton avoided military service during the Vietnam era.
Most of the increases the GOP lawmakers proposed this week would come from accelerating programs the Pentagon planned to undertake in the future. The administration and the Republicans actually are proposing essentially the same long-term level of spending, but the GOP wants to accelerate the purchase of new weapons now and cut budgets later while Clinton favors more modest procurement now and larger budgets beginning around 2000.
Here's a look at some of the highlights of the bills that emerged from committees this week and how they compare with the administration's plan. Final congressional action on the Pentagon's budget probably won't come until late summer.
Pay: Both the House and Senate committees adopted the administration's proposal to raise military pay by 3 percent, effective Jan. 1, 1997. Senators proposed a 4 percent raise and the House a 4.6 percent hike in the basic allowance for quarters paid to service members who live off base; the administration had requested 3 percent.
Housing: Both committees moved to extend basic allowance for quarters payments (BAQ) to enlisted service members at the E-5 (Navy second class petty officer, Marine and Army sergeant, Air Force staff sergeant) level.
The House committee added $303 million to the administration's request for additional construction and improvement in military family housing. The Senate provided an additional $289 million for unaccompanied personnel quarters, child development centers, dining facilities and family housing.
Manpower: Both committees agreed to eliminate about 24,000 uniformed positions during 1997, reducing the total number of service members on active duty to slightly more than 1,457,000. That's essentially what the administration recommended.
Repair depots: The Clinton administration sought repeal of current law requiring that 60 percent of ship, aircraft and other weapons maintenance work be done at shipyards and depots owned and run by the Pentagon. The House committee voted to leave the requirement unchanged; the Senate panel supported a 50-50 split between private contractors and the public depots.
Missile defense: Both committees added about $700 million to the administration's $2.8 billion request for various missile defense programs. They've also approved separate bills to require the deployment by 2003 of a system to defend the United States against limited missile attacks.
Surface ships: The House committee agreed to the administration's request for $41 million to begin development of an ``arsenal ship,'' which could carry up to 500 missile tubes and would be manned by a crew of 50 or less. The Senate panel recommended moving the program along faster, by providing $174 million.
Both committees agreed to the administration's request to provide almost $3.4 billion for construction of four more Arleigh Burke class destroyers.
Submarines:
The Senate committee recommended $804 million and the House panel $780 million to complete work on the third and last Seawolf class sub now under construction at Electric Boat of Groton, Conn.
The House panel agreed to provide $504 million and the Senate committee $704 million for a new attack submarine that will be built at Newport News Shipbuilding beginning in 1999. That ship will be the second in a series that will begin with a 1998 ship at Electric Boat. The Virginia and Connecticut yards are to begin competing for contracts sometime after 2002.
Aircraft: Both committees agreed to the administration's request for $2.1 billion to buy 12 F/A-18E strike fighters for the Navy. The Senate panel also recommended additional funds to buy six more F/A-18Cs, a smaller, cheaper model that already is in service.
The Senate provided $373 million and the House $417 million for the remanufacture of 14 and 12, respectively, of the Marine Corps' AV-8B Harrier jump jets. The administration had sought funds for 10 Harriers.
Both committees recommended funds to cover the purchase of six new V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft to replace aging Marine helicopters. The administration wanted to buy only four of the V-22s, which take off and land like helicopters but fly like fixed wing aircraft, in 1997.
The House panel recommended the purchase of six additional F-16 fighters for the Air Force while the Senate committee urged that eight more of the jets be bought. Again, the administration had recommended buying only four of the planes in 1997.
Both committees recommended major increases in an Army program to put air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles on the Kiowa Warrior helicopter, which now performs scouting and reconnaissance missions. The House bill provides $190 million for work on 24 of the Kiowas; the Senate panel authorized $168 million for arming 31 Kiowas. MEMO:
KEYWORDS: MILITARY BUDGET by CNB