The Senate could debate the delayed Pentagon policy bill as soon as this week, after the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) revised the legislation yesterday by cutting $21 billion in funding authorization and changing controversial detainee-related language.
The committee marked up a second version of the fiscal year 2012 defense authorization bill yesterday behind closed doors and approved it by a 26-0 vote. The SASC’s initial bill, passed back in June, cut authorization for $6 billion from the Pentagon’s $671 billion base and war budget proposals for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. The new bill makes $21 billion in additional reductions “to meet the target of $27 billion in defense reductions set for the committee under the Budget Control Act of 2011,” which President Barack Obama signed in August, the SASC said late yesterday in a statement.
The legislation has been stalled in the Senate as Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) cited the White House’s concerns about language requiring some suspected terrorists to be held in military facilities.
“The new bill would…clarify a number of provisions addressing detainee matters in an effort to address concerns raised by the administration and others,” according to the SASC’s statement, sent from both Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member John McCain (R-Ariz.).
“We are encouraged by today’s unanimous vote, and look forward to debating these vital issues on the floor of the Senate when the (bill) comes up for consideration as early as this week,” McCain said in another statement with Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.).
The legislation sets policy and authorizes funding, which is formally determined by the defense appropriations bill, which Congress has not yet approved for FY ’12.
The SASC released a summary yesterday of the additional $21 billion in cuts to the Pentagon’s request, but did not provide the revised legislation. Many of the new reductions to weapons programs are attributed to “unjustified or excessive growth, misaligned schedules, fact of life changes including terminations, or other management challenges,” the fact sheet says.
The additional authorization reductions approved yesterday include procurement cuts of $2.8 billion for the Army, $958.9 million for the Navy, $101 million for the Marine Corps, and $1.02 billion for the Air Force. New reductions to research and development in the revised legislation come in at $800 million for the Army, $552.6 million for the Navy, and $641.9 million for the Air Force.
The new authorization cuts include:
– $638.7 million for the Joint Tactical Radio System (Army and Navy funding);
– $224 million for the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical system;
– $172.5 million for the Ground Soldier System-Nett Warrior system;
– $170.9 million for Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (Army and Air Force funding);
– $163.5 million for E-2D Advanced Hawkeye aircraft;
– $157.3 for Humvee recapitalization programs;
– $145 million for the A-10 aircraft;
– $120 million for the Air Force Network (AFNET);
– $108.6 million for C-17 aircaft;
– $99.7 million for F/A-18E/F Hornets; and
– $70 million for the Future Unmanned Carrier-Based Strike System.
The new cuts in the legislation also would reduce authorized funding for science and technology and information technology by $216 million, Special Operations Command by $135 million, and the Joint IED Defeat Organization by $85 million.
The new SASC plan adds varied missile-defense reductions, including a drop of $55 million for the procurement of Standard Missile-3 Block IB missiles and of $120 million for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system.
The initial version of the bill the SASC approved June 16, notably, includes provisions meant to control the price of Lockheed Martin’s [LMT] F-35 Joint Strike Fighter that say the company must pay all costs that exceed the target amount for the lot 5 aircraft’s fixed-price contract. The June version of the legislation authorizes the Pentagon’s full funding request for buying 32 F-35s, while prohibiting the expenditure of monies on the F-35’s ill-fated alternate engine, made by General Electric [GE] and Rolls-Royce.
The initial bill also adds authorized funding to the Pentagon’s proposal for upgrading M1A2 tanks, so the Army doesn’t have to temporarily shut down the production line, and denies the $406.6 million the Pentagon requested for the three-nation Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) program.
The House approved its version of the FY ’12 defense authorization bill in May.
After the Senate passes its version of the legislation, House and Senate negotiators will work out a compromised version that would need both chambers’ approval before it is sent to Obama’s desk.