SUMMARY OF the Bill The committee considered revised budget estimates for the fiscal year 1970 totaling $75,278,200,000 for the various military departments and other activities of the Department of Defense, exclusive of the regular military assistance program, military construction and civil defense, which are included in other appropriation bills. The committee recommends appropriations totaling $69,332,656,000. The new obligational authority recommended by the committee is $8,407,544,000 under the original budget requests, $5,945,544,000 under the revised budget requests and $627,392,000 under the amount allowed by the House. The bill as it passed the House of Representatives includes appropriations totaling $69,960,048,000, a decrease of $5,318,152,000 from the revised estimate. The appropriations recommended by the committee are $5,069,593,427 under the total appropriation for fiscal year 1969 of $74,402,249,427. The recommendations of the committee with respect to each appropriation are discussed under the appropriate headings of this report. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PROCUREMENT AND RESEARCH AUTHORIZATION ACT, 1970 The appropriations included in this bill for the procurement of aircraft, missiles, naval vessels, and tracked combat vehicles; and all appropriations for "Research, development, test and evaluation" require annual authorization. The recommendations of the committee are generally in accord with the provisions of the Department of Defense Procurement and Research Authorization Act, 1970 (Public Law 91-121). HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BILL Following are some of the more significant actions taken by the committee in its consideration of the bill. SUPPORT OF FREE WORLD FORCES Section 638 of the bill authorizes the use of appropriations available to the Department of Defense to support Vietnamese and other free world forces in Vietnam and local forces in Laos and Thailand and for related costs. The bill includes $2,226,400,000 for this purpose in fiscal year 1970, of which $651,800,000 is for the modernization of the South Vietnamese armed forces. A breakdown by budget title follows: Section 401 of the Department of Defense Procurement and Research and Development Authorization Act, 1970 (Public Law 91-121) limits the amount of funds for this purpose in fiscal year 1970 to $2,500 million; thus the recommended appropriations fall within the limitation imposed. INTERNATIONAL MILITARY HEADQUARTERS The committee recommends disallowance of the $30,382,000 requested for international military headquarters. The funds were requested for the following purposes: a. NATO International Military Headquarters (Operation and maintenance, Army).. b. SEATO International Military Headquarters (Operation and maintenance, Navy)-- c. CENTO International Military Headquarters (Operation and maintenance, Air Force) d. Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic Antisubmarine Warfare Research Center, La Spezia, Italy (Research, development, test, and evaluation, Navy). e. SHAPE Technical Center, Hague, Netherlands (Research, development, test and evaluation, Air Force) _ . Total___. $28, 659, 000 100, 000 900,000 249, 000 474, 000 30, 382, 000 Funds for these purposes have been funded in the military assistance appropriations in previous years. The recommendation of the committee is in accord with the Senate version of the Foreign Aid Authorization Act. It is the view of the committee that funds for this purpose should be budgeted in the military assistance program. PERSONNEL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS The committee feels that the programs initiated by the Department of Defense to assist military personnel in returning to civilian life or to enter the military have merit but recommends agreement with the House action in making the following reductions for fiscal year 1970: The Department of Labor is initiating a program similar to the Referral program which can assist military retirees. SAFEGUARD ANTI-BALLISTIC-MISSILE SYSTEM The recommendations of the committee include $779,400,000 for the initial deployment of phase I of the Safeguard ABM system. These funds are included in the following Army appropriations: 1 $9,800, 000 23, 200, 000 1345, 500, 000 1400, 900, 000 779, 400, 000 In addition to these funds, the military construction appropriation bill, 1970 (H.R. 14751), includes $12,700,000 for the development of Safeguard research and development facilities on Kwajalein Island and $1,400,000 for planning, making a total of $14,100,000. CHEYENNE AND COBRA HELICOPTERS The revised budget requests included $429 million for the Army's Cheyenne armed helicopter program. After the submission of the budget this program was canceled, and the funds requested were deleted from the Department of Defense Procurement and Research and Development Authorization Act (Public Law 91-121). Accordingly, the committee has recommended the disallowance of the $429 million. However, the authorization act did provide for the procurement of a limited number of the Cobra armed helicopters and the committee has recommended $86 million for this purpose. MAIN BATTLE TANK The recommendations of the committee include $20 million for production base support of the main battle tank, a reduction of $5.4 million from funds requested. In addition, the committee recommends $30 million for research, development, test and evaluation for the main battle tank program, a reduction of $14.9 million in the funds requested. The committee recommendations are in accord with the provisions of the Department of Defense Procurement and Research and Development Authorization Act, 1970 (Public Law 91-121). The failure of this program to produce a satisfactory tank at a reasonable cost is a matter of great concern to the committee. At the present time the Deputy Secretary of Defense is conducting an in-depth review of the program that will be the basis for a Department of Defense decision on the future of the program. The committee will consider this matter in detail during the hearings on the fiscal year 1971 budget request. F-14A FIGHTER AIRCRAFT PROGRAM The revised budget estimates included a total of $450 million for the Navy's F-14A fighter aircraft program, of which $275 million was in the procurement appropriation request and $175 million was in the research, development, test and evaluation request. The total included funds for the procurement of nine aircraft that are required for the test program. Three such aircraft were funded in fiscal year 1969. The House disallowed the total of $275 million requested in the procurement appropriation and increased the research and develop Authorized by the Military Procurement and Research and Development Authorization Act, 1970 (Public Law 91-121). The other funds do not require authorizing legislation. ment appropriation by $146 million to provide for a total of $321 million for the procurement of only six aircraft. The committee recommends appropriations totaling $450 million for this aircraft, as follows: Procurement of aircraft and missiles, Navy (advance procurement $8, 500, 000 441, 500, 000 The committee's recommendation is based on the procurement of nine aircraft, as requested in the revised budget. These, together with the three aircraft previously funded, will provide for the total of 12 aircraft, which, in the view of the committee, are required for the flight test program of this aircraft. The committee desires to make it clear that its action does not indicate any disagreement with the position of the House committee with respect to the premature commitment of this aircraft to production. Furthermore, the committee has been assured by the Secretary of Defense that the funds provided will not be used for tooling in excess of that required for the one aircraft per month rate currently authorized in the research and development program. ATTACK AIRCRAFT CARRIER (CVAN) "NIMITZ" CLASS The committee recommends $425,100,000 for the continuation of the nuclear aircraft carrier program. The funds are for the following purposes: The committee recommendations are in accord with the provisions of the Department of Defense Procurement and Research and Development Authorization Act, 1970 (Public Law 91-121). The committee desires to make it clear that its recommendations do not include any funds associated with the construction of the third carrier of the Nimitz class. POLARIS-TO-POSEIDON CONVERSION PROGRAM The revised budget included requests totaling $954.1 million for the Polaris-to-Poseidon submarine conversion program, including the funds for the procurement of the Poseidon missiles. This request was based on the conversion of six submarines. The current plan calls for the conversion of 31 of the existing 41 Polaris submarines to carry the new Poseidon missiles which will be equipped with a multiple independently aimed reentry vehicle (MIRV) warhead. Through fiscal year 1969 four of these conversions have been funded. In commenting on this program last year, the committee said, "It is the view of the committee that the Navy should proceed with caution in this program until the flight test program of the Poseidon missile has clearly established its reliability." A current review of this program convinces the committee that we should not proceed with |