House appropriator seeks to shift Pentagon priorities in Iraq bill

In advance of the House Appropriations Committee's Thursday markup of the fiscal 2004 Iraq supplemental appropriations bill, committee chairman Bill Young, R-Fla., has proposed adding $372 million to the Pentagon's $5.249 billion request for new investments, while cutting money for specific items.

Young's proposal adds $55.6 million to the Army's $46 million request to buy a new Paladin cannon artillery system, a tracked combat vehicle developed by United Defense and manufactured at the Paladin Production Operation Center in Chambersburg, Pa. Young also would add $319.6 million to the president's $930 million request for other Army procurement, including $190.6 million for Army Prepositioned Stock-5 replenishment-M-1A1 Abrams tanks, M-2A2 Bradley fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers, mortars and 155 mm howitzers-in Kuwait and Qatar. The increase also adds $83 million for theater-stabilized-communications and $46 million for portable radio jammers.

But Young's plan would zero out funding in the Army's $6.2 million request to replace a multiple launch rocket system lost in combat operations in Iraq. The rocket artillery system, manufactured by Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control of Dallas, fires surface-to-surface missiles.

Although the cut is not expected to diminish the Army's immediate military capability in Iraq, it could leave the service vulnerable in future near-term combat operations. In addition, the military services generally prefer to pay for replacement equipment in special supplemental requests, rather than by tapping into their regular budgets in the annual appropriations cycle, said one civilian Army official who lamented the cut.

The Navy won some additional funding for aircraft in the chairman's mark, with a $30 million increase in the president's $128.6 million request. The request called for funds to pay for more aircraft spare parts; F-18 support equipment and new outer wing panels for the EA-6B Prowler, an electronic countermeasures aircraft that protects fighters, ground troops and ships; and the E-2C Hawkeye, which provides airborne early warning, battle management and command and control functions for carrier strike groups.

The Air Force received a modest increase in its aircraft procurement coffers with $13 million added to the original $41 million request. The request was intended to pay for air launched expendable decoys and aircraft common support equipment to replace those lost in combat in Iraq.

But Young's plan would cut $23 million from other Air Force investments, for which the president requested $3.4 billion. Those investments include improved theater communications systems, logistics and support equipment, medical equipment, replacement vehicles, equipment for the deployed civil engineers and explosive ordnance disposal systems.

In addition, $17 million was cut from the president's Defense Department-wide procurement request of $435.6 million, which was intended to pay for specific Special Operations Command projects, the Pentagon's Chemical-Biological Defense Program, and communications and intelligence efforts.

The requested funds were to support SOCOM with aircraft modifications, C4I equipment, replacement ammunition, Special Operations Forces intelligence systems improvements, communications and computer security, and chemical and biological defense equipment.

"The committee is just basically shifting money around," said one senior Pentagon official about the chairman's mark. "But these guys are really second-guessing [Defense Secretary Donald] Rumsfeld."