Request to boost special operations budget gains support

A key Republican House lawmaker pledged Wednesday to support all the money requested by the Bush administration for U.S. Special Operations Command, which has enjoyed unprecedented budget growth in recent years.

The Defense Department's fiscal 2007 spending proposal asks for a 27 percent increase for special operations over last year's request, with escalating budgets expected down the road as the military grows its highly skilled special operations force by 13,000 troops.

"I believe, as one member, that the money we have spent and propose to spend on SOCOM is money well spent," House Armed Services Terrorism Subcommittee Chairman Jim Saxton, R-N.J., said at the outset of a hearing on the command's fiscal 2007 budget. "In fact, I cannot think of a higher priority for funding anywhere in the federal government than the SOCOM budget."

Seven thousand special operations troops are deployed today, a record number for the selective and relatively small force, which includes Army Green Berets and Navy SEALs. The Florida-based command is considered the central coordinator of the war on terrorism, and supplies military operations with a stream of civil affairs, psychological operations and combat specialists considered central to locating and battling insurgents and other unpredictable enemies.

But Subcommittee ranking member Martin Meehan, D-Mass., was not as bullish on the command's budget forecast as his Republican counterpart.

"While I conceptually support the move to improve the command's ability to fight the long war against terrorism, I remain concerned about the nature and extent of the proposed additions and the backdrop against which these initiatives will be considered," Meehan said.

Meehan, who has frequently questioned the administration's Iraq policies, stressed that the entire military is facing recurring recruitment and retention problems. And he said the command is now under investigation by the Pentagon's inspector general for allegations of "improper acquisition practice."

The $5.2 billion budget request for special operations -- excluding military pay -- will add 1,300 personnel, pay for new aircraft and allow investments in the civil affairs and psychological operations force structure. It also pays for the nascent Marine Corps Special Operations Command, which was activated last month in Camp Lejeune, N.C.

The increase is "essential" to supporting the department's long-term vision for the force and to continue current operations, Thomas O'Connell, assistant Defense secretary for special operations/low intensity conflict, told the panel.

Over the next several years, the military expects to buy a new rifle for special operations troops, as well as 50 CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, the first of which recently rolled off the Bell-Boeing production lines.

The command might also need to replace some of its aircraft, including aerial refueling tankers used extensively and continuously in Iraq. Gen. Bryan Brown, SOCOM commander, said the Boeing KC-130J planes bought by the Marine Corps "may be a good option" to replace his damaged tankers.

Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., signaled his support for replacing equipment, saying he is "very concerned about the pace with which we're wearing out" equipment. "I'm afraid we're going to get a couple of years down the road and be looking at a lot of junk," he added.

Meanwhile, the command continues to develop its plan for the future, which includes greater cooperation with other U.S. agencies. While command officials have begun to include representatives from non-defense agencies in their discussions, Brown said there is still more work to do.

"It's not as good as it could be, and we're understanding that and working it very hard," Brown said.