Senate panel approves $517.7 billion defense bill

The Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday approved a $517.7 billion fiscal 2007 defense authorization bill, a 4 percent increase over the amount authorized by Congress last year.

The bill, which includes a $50 billion bridge fund to pay for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan during the first six months of fiscal 2007, totals $4.8 billion more than authorized by the House Armed Services Committee Wednesday night.

The Senate panel, which met behind closed doors, boosted funding for several weapons programs, including the addition of $1.5 billion to the Navy's shipbuilding accounts, largely due to concerns about the "declining size of the fleet," according to a summary of the bill released by the committee.

The LPD-25 expeditionary warfare ship, the Navy's top unfunded priority, was the clear winner among shipbuilding programs, receiving a $1.3 billion add from the panel. But the committee also said it wants to advance procurement of the CVN-21 aircraft carrier and the LHA(R) amphibious assault ship.

The senators also added $85 million to the budget for the Virginia class submarine, but they did not authorize funds to let the Navy buy two submarines a year by 2009, as their House colleagues did. The Navy has resisted any efforts to buy two subs annually before 2012, saying any change would disrupt its overall shipbuilding plan.

Senate Armed Services Chairman John Warner, R-Va., succeeded in pushing through language that would repeal a provision in the fiscal 2006 defense authorization bill that has required the Navy maintain a 12-carrier fleet despite the service's plans to retire the historic USS John F. Kennedy.

Warner introduced stand-alone legislation to overturn that language, which he originally supported. Last week, he tried to attach it to the supplemental appropriations bill but the Senate failed to vote on it before invoking cloture and passing the spending measure Thursday.

On missile defense programs, the committee authorized the president's full request. By comparison, the House committee trimmed $185.5 million from the programs, making a conference fight over missile defense likely.

But Senate Armed Services members did reduce funding for certain systems, including the Kinetic Energy Interceptor, to fund "more urgent" missile defense requirements, according to the committee summary.

The panel also included a provision requiring an annual report on the Defense Department's plan to shift the systems from the Missile Defense Agency to the military services.

For the protection of ground forces, the panel authorized a $950.5 million increase, including $559.8 million for up-armored Humvees, and $100 million for vehicles to counter improvised explosive devices, the greatest cause of U.S. casualties in Iraq.

And they set aside $2.1 billion for the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Fund to advance development of new technologies and tactics, and $45.8 million for various IED countermeasure technologies.

"Our forces are protecting us here at home, and those of us on the committee have a very sacred and special trust to take care of them, and their families," Warner said.

Indeed, the panel overturned unpopular Pentagon plans to increase TRICARE healthcare enrollment fees for many military retirees. But unlike their House colleagues, who recommend a 2.7 percent increase to troop pay, the Senate panel authorized the Pentagon request of a 2.2 percent raise.

Among the policy provisions adopted by the committee, the U.S. military's regional combatant commanders would be allowed to train and equip foreign military forces and provide humanitarian relief and reconstruction assistance to foreign nations.

The committee also agreed to permit the Defense Department to lease or lend personnel protection equipment to allies and coalition partners working with the U.S. military during contingency operations.