Sent in by Veterans News and Information Services
By Jim Garamone
WASHINGTON -- The president's fiscal 2000 defense budget of
$267.2 billion reflects DoD's emphasis on service members with
requests next year for a 4.4 percent pay raise Jan. 1, a
targeted pay raise July 1, and military retirement reform.
A senior defense official said the proposed budget would fund
the "most pressing needs" of military commanders.
Civilian pay will also rise by 4.4 percent.
The budget is the first increase in defense spending since the
end of the Cold War. In addition to compensation issues, the
budget would provide $53 billion for procurement and places the
department on the road to achieving the 1997 Quadrennial Defense
Review goal of $60 billion a year for procurement. The fiscal
1999 DoD budget is $265 billion.
The Future Years Defense Plan calls for $112 billion extra
through fiscal 2005.
Under the proposal the Army's share of the DoD budget is $67.2
billion; the Navy/Marine Corps, $83.3 billion; the Air Force,
$79.1 billion; and DoD activities, $37.6 billion.
The budget proposes a military end strength of 1,370,000 active
duty service members: 480,000 Army soldiers, 372,000 Navy
sailors, 172,000 Marines and 361,000 airmen. The Selected
Reserves will be set at 865,000 service members, and there will
be about 700,000 civilian employees.
The budget includes money to prepare for two more rounds of base
closures in fiscal 2001 and 2005. "We must get rid of excess
infrastructure," said the senior defense official. "The money we
spend on excess bases is money we will not be able to spend on
new weapon systems and quality of life programs for service
members."
Savings from new rounds of base closures would start showing up
in fiscal 2005. "The first couple of years, it costs money to
close bases," the official said, adding neither the fiscal 2000
budget nor the Future Years Defense Plan include savings from
new rounds of base closures.
The budget is built around the quadrennial review strategy of
"shape, respond and prepare." "We must balance between our near-
term interests and prepare for the threats of the future," the
official said. With this in mind, the highest budget priorities
are to continue to attract and retain high-quality military
personnel, ensure high operational readiness, implement force
modernization, improve base facilities and family housing, and
to streamline infrastructure.
The budget counters all threats the United States is likely to
confront, said the official. This covers the emergence of a
"near peer" threat, increasing threats from weapons of mass
destruction and an increase in terrorism.
DoD has seen disturbing personnel trends: The Navy missed its
recruiting goals by 6,900 sailors in fiscal 1998, and the Army
missed its first quarter fiscal 1999 recruiting goals by 2,300
soldiers. If the Army cannot correct these recruiting problems,
the officials said, the service will miss its fiscal 1999
recruiting goals by 10,000 soldiers. The senior official said
the compensation package included in the fiscal 2000 budget
should go a long way toward reversing these trends.
The military leadership's top budget priority was fixing the
retirement system. The Redux retirement system became effective
in August 1986, and the program meant that service members
coming on active duty after that date will receive 40 percent of
their base pay if they retire after 20 years of service. The
proposed change will raise the benefit to 50 percent after 20
years. Other changes mean retirees would receive cost-of-living
raises during periods of low inflation. Officials pegged the
cost of these changes at $6 billion through fiscal 2005.
The across-the-board 4.4 percent pay raise is the largest since
fiscal 1982. Pay raises through fiscal 2005 are now set at 3.9
percent each year. The raise is higher than the estimated pay
growth of civilian-sector employees. It is also more than 2
percent higher than the estimated inflation rate. Through fiscal
2005, the pay raises will cost an estimated $14 billion extra.
The targeted pay raise -- also called pay table reform -- looks
to retain mid-level NCOs and officers. The raises range from .5
percent to 5.5 percent and will take effect July 1, 2000. The
senior defense official said the reform will reverse the pay
tables' current trend of rewarding longevity more than
promotion. Pay table reform will cost $4.5 billion though fiscal
2005.
Finally, DoD proposes to increase specialty pays and bonuses to
personnel in critical military specialties. "We're having
problems retaining surface warfare officers, nuclear officers,
special operators and many other specialties," said the
official. "We need to increase retention and recruiting." Cost
for these increases is $2 billion through fiscal 2005.
Operations and maintenance funds remain at historic highs. The
Army, for instance, has budgeted tank crews to 800 driving miles
per year, up from 703 in fiscal 1999. Army monthly tactical
hours per crew are set at 14.5, up from 11.5 in fiscal 1999.
Navy steaming days per quarter remain at 50.5 for the deployed
fleet and 28 for the nondeployed fleet. Tactical hours per crew
per month are 22.3, up from 22.1 in fiscal 1999.
Air Force reduced fighter and bomber crews' monthly flying hours
and raised them for tanker and airlift crews.
The fiscal 2000 budget fully funds operations in Bosnia and
Southwest Asia. "This means we won't have to borrow funds from
O&M accounts to finance contingencies," the official said.
The budget puts modernization on the track recommended in the
QDR. "This will fund the weapon programs we will need for the
future: the F-22, the Comanche, the Crusader, the Joint Strike
Fighter, the V-22 and so on," the official said. The
modernization sector will climb from $53 billion in fiscal 2000
to $61.8 billion in fiscal 2001.
The Army's procurement budget is set at $9.7 billion in fiscal
2000; the Navy, about $21 billion; the Marines, $1.1 billion;
the Air Force, $19 billion; and DoD activities, $2.1 billion.
Army programs
The Army has budgeted $658.3 million for Abrams tank upgrades
and $348.8 million for Bradley fighting vehicle "sustainment,"
such as improvements for crew command and control capabilities
and situational awareness, and for increased lethality of the
system. The Army also budgeted $343.9 million in research and
development funds for the Crusader self-propelled artillery
system.
Navy programs
Air Force Programs
Finally, Air Force planners set $308 million in research and
development funds on the airborne laser program. The program
envisions fitting a modified Boeing 747-400 with a laser that
can destroy incoming missiles. The program is in coordination
with the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.
Defense/Joint programs
The major aircraft program, the Joint Strike Fighter, is
budgeted for $476.9 million. The Air Force, Navy and DoD all
contributed to this research and development program. Ultimately
the Joint Strike Fighter will replace Air Force F-16s, Marine
AV-8Bs and Navy F/A-18E/F aircraft.
Theater missile defense projects are funded at $2.9 billion. The
request includes $611 million for the Army Theater High-Altitude
Area Defense missile and $189 million for its Patriot PAC-3
missile program, $369 million for the Navy Theaterwide defense
program, and $75 million for the space-based laser project.
National missile defense budget is set at $1.2 billion, all in
research and development funds.
Overall budget in research, development, test and evaluation is
going down slightly in DoD. The fiscal 2000 R&D budget is set at
$34.3 billion, down from $37.4 billion in fiscal 1999. The
senior defense official said this is normal. "We've had a number
of big budget items pass from research and development to
procurement," he said. "If you look at R&D over the years you
will see the cyclic nature of this funding."
The president's fiscal 2000 budget is now in the hands of
Congress for deliberation. Congress may change aspects of the
budget request, but is constrained by the Balanced Budget
Agreement. It has until Oct. 1, 1999, to pass DoD's
authorization and appropriations bills.
American Forces Press Service
Major Army aircraft projects include $773.5 million to fund
fire-and-forget Hellfire missile capability for the AH-64
Longbow Apache helicopter. The Comanche RAH-66 helicopter will
receive $427 million in research and development funds. The Army
will spend $102.8 million to buy eight Black Hawk UH-60
choppers.
The Navy's major fiscal 2000 aircraft procurement is 36 F/A-
18E/F Hornet strike fighters, tagged at $3.066 billion. In
addition, the Navy proposes to buy seven SH-60R anti-submarine
helicopters, 15 T-45 Goshawk trainer aircraft, three E-2C
Hawkeye early warning aircraft and 12 AV-8B Harrier jets. The
Marines will get 10 V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft for $796 million.
The Navy will spend $2.9 billion for three more DDG-51 Arleigh
Burke class destroyers in fiscal 2000. It is asking for $1.5
billion for two LPD-17 San Antonio class amphibious transport
docks, and $453.1 million for an auxiliary dry cargo ship. The
latter is a new class of supply ship. The Navy is also budgeting
$1.1 billion for the new attack submarine and $66.4 million for
the Seawolf attack submarine.
The Air Force wants $3 billion for its F-22 advanced tactical
fighter -- $1.8 billion to buy six aircraft and $1.2 billion for
continued research and development. It has budgeted $282 million
for 10 F-16 fighters, the first part of 30 that will go to the
Air Reserve and Air National Guard. Finally, the Air Force wants
$3.5 billion for 15 C-17 airlifters and $280 million for an E-8C
surveillance and targeting radar aircraft. No new B-2 Stealth
bombers are set for fiscal 2000, but the Air Force budget
includes $374 million for spare parts and research and
development.
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