Lawmakers greet defense budget favorably

National Guard, Feb 2002

The latest Capitol Hill news from the NGAUS Legislative Staff

President Bush has proposed a $439 billion defense budget, which is $48 billion, or 14.5 percent larger than the current one.

Capitol Hill lawmakers generally greeted the president's Feb. 4 fiscal year 2003 defense request favorably as Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Richard Myers postured the administrations budget before two congressional committees.

President Bush has proposed a $379 billion defense budget, which is $48 billion, or 14.5 percent larger, than the current one with $10 billion in new spending that would be contained in a war contingency fund for the war on terrorism. It includes $19.4 billion for the war on terrorism and $9.4 billion for a variety of related programs. The proposal includes $94 billion for military pay and allowances, including a $1.9 billion acrossthe-board, 4.1-percent pay increase.

Rumsfeld testified before the House and Senate Armed Services committees the first week in February that the administration decided not to make deep cuts in manpower, given the ongoing war and that 60,000 Guardsmen and Reservists have been federally mobilized and another 10,000 are being held in service through stop-loss.

Legislators said Bush's proposal-- although strong-does not go far enough.

"I think we need to spend more," Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., said during a Feb. 6 hearing. "But I want to compliment you in turning this ship in the right direction."

Rep. Jim Saxton, R-N.J., said he was disappointed in the military construction proposal, noting that it is 26 percent less than the current budget of $6.5 billion. He suggested that additional base closings should be delayed from 2003 to 2005. Rumsfeld said the military construction decrease is due to uncertainty related to where base closures are headed, adding that the military has 25 percent more infrastructure than it needs now and that facility modernization should be eased up until the next round of closings.

Democrats, who seemed to support the budget plan, did say they are concerned about the $10 billion contingency fund for unspecified needs and that there is still no comprehensive homeland security strategy. Other lawmakers also wanted to know how a "U.S. CINC" would work.

Rumsfeld said details on a unified command structure would be released soon.

A unified command structure focusing on homeland defense would "put some coherence to a multiplicity of demands."

Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, told Rumsfeld that he hopes the details of the administration's plan for a homeland defense command puts forth recommendations for the Guard and Reserve. Rumsfeld said it does.

To read the entire story, visit www.ngaus.org/newsroom/budget20602.asp

Defense Secretary Unsure Where National Guard Fits in Homeland Security Strategy

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said he is uncertain about where the National Guard will fit into the country's emerging homeland security strategy.

"That's got to get sorted out over the period ahead," Rumsfeld said during a break at a House Armed Services Committee hearing Feb. 6.

"We have lot of moving parts," he added. "We do have notably different and expanded homeland security responsibilities."

Rumsfeld said he could not say for sure if the Guard's part in homeland security will become "a primary" mission versus "the primary" mission. This has been a controversial issue since the Hart-Rudman Commission, established by former Sens. Gary Hart and Warren Rudman, recommended last year that the Guard focus on homeland security. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington, D.C., think-tank, has made a similar recommendation.

Pulling the Guard from missions around the world has become a more popular notion as lawmakers and administration officials consider ways to streamline the number of agencies involved in homeland security since the Sept. 11 attacks. National Guard officials advocate protecting the Guard's state and federal missions at home and abroad.

During the break, Rumsfeld said he can't define the Guard's role in homeland security.

"We just have to see how it plays out," he said.

To read more visit www.ngaus.org/news room/rumsfeldguard20602.asp.