Cohen pushes for base closures in 2003 and 2005

Outside of an uphill fight to resume the base closing process, Defense Secretary William Cohen Friday said he expects Congress to be generally supportive of President Clinton's new defense budget during this session.

"I don't see Congress pushing me in a direction I don't want to go," Cohen told reporters at the Pentagon, according to National Journal News Service.

Cohen said he advocates deploying a thin missile defense over the United States eventually, but has warned against tearing up arms control agreements with Russia to achieve that objective. He predicted Congress would not force his hand to abandon the anti-ballistic missile treaty. Nor does Cohen anticipate a repeat of last year's fight over the F-22 fighter. He said testing on the plane is going forward, and added he expects Congress to continue funding this top priority Air Force program.

Cohen confirmed Clinton's defense budget for fiscal 2001 would increase the procurement account to $60 billion-a total the Joint Chiefs of Staff have insisted must be spent to keep the armed services modern. Clinton also will ask Congress to approve two more rounds of base closings, in 2003 and 2005, Cohen said.