WASHINGTON Ñ House and Senate conferees have reached agreement on the $393 billion
defense budget for fiscal 2003 that places new emphasis on missile defense and marks the largest overall increase since the early years of the Reagan administration.
House Armed Services Committee chairman Bob Stump, a Republican from
Arizona, said the $7.8 billion authorized for missile defense Ñ $814.3
million of which is allocated for the Defense Department for
counterterrorism Ñ marks the fifth straight year of real increases in
defense spending.
Stump said the fiscal 2003 defense budget is the largest
increase in nearly 20 years.
"Rogue nations such as North Korea, Iran, and Iraq are actively seeking
or testing ballistic missiles capable of striking the U.S. homeland, and
U.S. allies and U.S. forward deployed troops already face a growing threat
from shorter range ballistic missiles," the conference report of the
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003 said.
"The
proliferation of ballistic missile technologies, and the dangers of an
intentional, accidental, or unauthorized launch of a ballistic missile are
serious risks to U.S. national security."
The House and Senate conferees authorized $1.1 billion for Theater High
Altitude Air Defense System [THAAD] and Patriot Advanced Capability-3
[PAC-3] engineering and manufacturing development. Under the agreement the
U.S. Army would receive $507.3 million for procurement of PAC-3 missiles.
The PAC-3 has been offered to U.S.
allies in the Middle East.
The PAC-3 allocation approved by the conferees is $35.6 million more
than the president's request. So far, PAC-3 missiles are in low rate initial
production, and only limited quantities are available for deployment.
[On Thursday, the Pentagon announced a $9 million contract to Raytheon,
the manufacturer of the PAC-3. Under the award, the Bedford, Mass.-based
company will provide engineering services for older-line Patriot systems
until February 2003.]
The House and Senate conferees agreed to allocate $247.7 million for
terminal defense system research and development. This ensures funding for
the joint U.S.-Israeli Arrow-2 missile program as well as the Medium
Extended Air Defense System project, including Italy and Germany. The
allocation is $40 million less than the president's request.
The conferees also authorized $755.6 million for boost defense systems,
including hit-to-kill and directed energy boost phase intercept programs.
This is $41.3 million less than the president's request.
The largest allocation went to mid-course defense programs. The
conferees authorized $3.2 billion Ñ $5 million more
than the president's request Ñ for the 2004 Pacific Test Bed, ground-based
defense, formerly known as National
Missile Defense, and cooperative development with Japan of sea-based high
altitude missile defenses.
Another $1.1 billion was approved for battle management command,
control and communication, system engineering, and system-wide test and
evaluation efforts. The conferees also authorized $136.8 million to develop
advanced technological components necessary to maintain pace with constantly
evolving missile threats.
"This conference report places a priority on improving our homeland
defenses against terrorism and weapons of mass destruction, supporting the
needs of our military personnel, and preparing for an extended war against
terrorism," Stump said. "The resulting legislation will make America more
secure and ensure the continued revitalization of the United States
military."
