War Necessities Anchor Defense Bill

Three House panels approved measures Wednesday that would shift military spending priorities from modernization programs toward bolstering a force devastated by four years of war. The Armed Services subcommittees approved by voice vote measures that would authorize billions of dollars more than requested in fiscal 2008 for Mine Resistant Ambush Protection and Stryker combat vehicles, new battle gear for the depleted Army National Guard and reserves, and military pay raises. The defense authorization bill (HR 1585) also would reject proposed military health care fees. Consequently, lawmakers decided to provide billions fewer dollars than requested for missile defense, a host of Army development programs and a controversial new nuclear warhead, among other reductions. The shifts in funding recommended Wednesday by the Air and Land Forces, Strategic Forces and Military Personnel subcommittees are larger than the panels have proposed in recent years. Democrats said the budgetary changes are necessary to fill holes in the military left by a war in Iraq that has proven longer, deadlier and more expensive than even critics first thought. The degraded condition of equipment, strains on military families, a demand for more personnel, the rising cost of futuristic weapons and a costly Army reorganization all require new thinking about how the Pentagon spends money, they said. “The Army is in trouble,” said Hawaii Democrat Neil Abercrombie, chairman of the Air and Land Forces panel. “This situation requires dramatic action to prevent further decay of the Army over the next two years.” The president’s request for fiscal 2008 totals $647.2 billion, including $483.3 billion for the Defense Department’s regular activities, $141.7 billion to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and $22.5 billion for the Energy Department’s national security activities, according to the Pentagon comptroller’s office. Following two more subcommittee markups Thursday and one May 8, the full committee will tackle the bill May 9, possibly leading to a floor debate the following week. The Senate has tentative plans to mark up its version of the bill the week of May 21. Air and Land The Air and Land Forces Subcommittee recommended authorizing $4.1 billion more than the $400 million requested for the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, which would replace Humvees in Iraq. The new vehicles would better protect soldiers from rocket attacks and improvised explosive devices. The panel also would seek to authorize $294 million more than the $1.18 billion requested for Stryker combat vehicles and $500 million more for Army National Guard and reserve equipment. “What motivates me is the question, do we move forward on a program that might work in 2015, or do we get equipment to an Army National Guard that has served the nation admirably and so desperately needs the equipment today?” said Georgia Democrat Hank Johnson. The panel recommended authorizing $867 million less than the president requested for the Army’s top modernization priority, the Future Combat Systems. The administration requested $3.66 billion for the program, which will integrate a new generation of vehicles and technologies on a network. But the $164 billion program, due in 2014, has suffered repeated delays and cost increases, Abercrombie said. Additionally, the panel recommended authorizing $470 million less than the $550.7 million requested for the troubled Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter Program. It also denied an administration request of $2 billion for the Joint Network Node program, a mobile system for enabling satellite communications on the battlefield. Abercrombie said that the program, which was intended as a near-term fix until the Warfighter Information Network – Tactical is fielded, has mushroomed into a multibillion-dollar, sole-source procurement program that has not undergone sufficient testing. The panel would restrict funding until the Pentagon certifies that the program complies with Defense Department acquisition regulations, future orders are open to competition and a plan for testing is in place. The panel also would authorize $2.4 billion for 10 C-17 transport planes not requested by the administration and allow the Pentagon to retire older C-5A transports. The panel would authorize $480 million more than requested to develop a second engine for the new F-35 fighter, an initiative the Pentagon opposes because of its costs. Strategic Forces Meanwhile, the Strategic Forces subcommittee proposed providing $764 million less than the $8.85 billion requested for Ballistic Missile Defense. Republicans voiced concerns that the panel’s proposed authorizations would hamper development of missile defenses. For example, the Space Tracking and Surveillance System would be authorized at $85 million less than the $331.5 million requested. But California Democrat Ellen O. Tauscher, who chairs the Strategic Forces panel, responded that the Democrats’ proposal intends to “restore a sense of accountability and fiscal responsibility” to missile defense efforts. Tauscher also called for added oversight of the administration’s drive to modernize the nation’s nuclear stockpile, specifically attempting to slow the development of the Reliable Replacement Warhead. The subcommittee recommended authorizing $45 million less than the $88.7 million requested for the warhead, and limiting expenditures to design and cost-study activities, pending a report by a new proposed commission to study U.S. strategic and nuclear posture. Personnel Issues The Military Personnel Subcommittee recommended authorizing more funding for several health care initiatives in its markup, responding to recent testimony highlighting a decline in the quality of medical care offered to returning soldiers and veterans. The subcommittee proposed, with bipartisan support, not authorizing more than $2 billion in savings the president assumed would come from unspecified increases in fees for Tricare, the military health care program. The panel recommended authorizing an additional $2 billion to cover the funding shortfall created by the lack of new fees. Chairman Vic Snyder, D-Ark., and ranking Republican John M. McHugh of New York said Congress would restrict any increases of Tricare fees based on assumed savings until a congressionally mandated task force report is complete later this year. The panel also would seek to authorize increasing Army and Marine Corps total forces by 13,000 and 9,000, respectively, over the levels Congress enacted for fiscal 2007. The Navy and Air Force would increase by 698 and 963, respectively, above what the president requested, slots targeted for medical personnel, Snyder said. The subcommittee also would seek to authorize a 3.5 percent pay increase for uniformed personnel, 0.5 percent more than the administration requested. No amendments were offered at the hearings.