By Kerry Boyd

Global Security Newswire

U.S. President George W. Bush signed the fiscal 2002 Defense Appropriations Act Thursday, clearing the way for $318 billion in Pentagon spending.  The legislation includes appropriations for the Defense Department and emergency supplemental spending and includes $30 billion more than fiscal 2001 appropriations.  

The bill includes $8 billion for missile defense and $20 billion in emergency supplemental funds to respond to the Sept. 11 attacks, including $3.5 billion for the Defense Department’s actions in the war on terrorism.  It also includes $8.4 billion for homeland security.  Bush said the bill would fund many modernization programs, including converting Trident submarines to carry cruise missiles (see GSN, Jan. 7).

The bill provided $2 billion less than the administration requested for some of Bush’s priorities, particularly military readiness, Bush said.

“In our global campaign against global terror, our military must have every resource, every tool, every weapon and every advantage you need for the missions to come,” Bush said during the signing ceremony at the Pentagon.  “The bill I’m about to sign makes a down-payment on essential commitment.  We will give our forces everything they need to defeat global terror” (White House transcript, Jan. 10).

Highlights of programs funded by the defense appropriations bill (H.R.3338) include:

*         Counterterrorism.  The Pentagon will receive $478 million to protect against terrorist attacks using conventional means or weapons of mass destruction, including $333 million for biochemical attack protection and response to weapons of mass destruction attacks.

*         Former Soviet Union Threat Reduction.  Congress appropriated $403 million for Pentagon efforts to help former Soviet republics eliminate and safely store nuclear, chemical and other weapons, prevent weapons proliferation and train personnel for demilitarization (see GSN, Jan. 10).  The fiscal 2002 Defense Authorization Act specified how the money should be spent:

o         Eliminating strategic offensive arms in Russia:  $133.4 million.

o         Eliminating Strategic Nuclear Arms in Ukraine (see GSN, Dec. 5, 2001):  $51.5 million

o         Nuclear weapons transportation security in Russia:  $9.5 million

o         Nuclear weapons storage security in Russia (see GSN, Dec. 5, 2001):  $56 million

o         Biological weapons proliferation prevention in the former Soviet Union:  $17 million

o         Other assessments/administrative support:  $13.2 million

o         Defense and military contracts:  $18.7 million

o         Chemical weapons destruction in Russia (see GSN, Dec. 21, 2001):  $50 million

o         Eliminating weapons of mass destruction in Kazakhstan (see GSN, Jan. 8):  $6 million

o         Eliminating weapons of mass destruction in Ukraine:  $6 million

o         Eliminating plutonium production reactors in Russia (see GSN, Dec. 19, 2001):  $41.7 million

*         Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.  WMATA will receive $15 million to develop further its chemical weapon sensor program and $5 million to procure protective clothing and breathing equipment.

*         Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The CDC will receive $2.5 billion for emergency expenses to counter biochemical threats to civilians (see GSN, Nov. 16, 2001).

*         Postal Service.  Congress allocated $500 million for emergency expenses and for protecting employees and customers from biohazards (see GSN, Jan. 9).

*         Chemical and biological defense programs.  The Pentagon may spend $356.7 million to procure equipment to protect U.S. military personnel.

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