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House Passes Bill With Missile Defense Increase By David Ruppe WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday passed a $427 billion defense appropriations bill for fiscal 2007 that includes $9 billion for the Missile Defense Agency, $1.3 billion more than what was approved for missile defense programs for the current fiscal year (see GSN, June 22). Including funding outside the agency, lawmakers approved more than $10 billion for missile defense. The agency’s amount, though, is several hundred million dollars below what was sought by the Bush administration. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet produced a comparable bill for a Senate vote. The approved funding, if made law, would sustain a significant increase in annual U.S. missile defense spending during the 5 1/2 years President George W. Bush has been in office, as his administration sought to simultaneously develop and field core missile defense systems. The Pentagon requested $4.5 billion for missile defense in fiscal 2001 and received about $4.8 billion, and requested and received about $9 billion last year. The military this week reportedly placed its developmental multiple-system Ballistic Missile Defense System on operational status in response to indications that North Korea is planning to test a long-range missile. Missile Defense Agency spokesman Richard Lehner said today the agency would not confirm whether that had actually occurred, calling such information classified. Congressional leaders this year have expressed interest in increasing oversight of U.S. missile defense programs and focusing spending on programs that might more quickly produce capabilities. The House bill yesterday included language that would increase congressional oversight of the program that was reduced several years ago, by effectively requiring more detailed accounting of progress of developing missile defense programs. A House Appropriations Committee report approved earlier this month, which explains the details of much of the bill, said the Missile Defense Agency had “been allowed considerable financial flexibility by Congress” in order to field some missile defense systems while continuing its developmental efforts. “Now that a working system operated by trained war fighters has been fielded, the committee is concerned about continuing to allow the Missile Defense Agency this financial flexibility,” that report says. The committee also expressed concern the Pentagon was moving appropriated funds without an audit trail between programs and two-year plans for fielding systems. It directed the Missile Defense Agency director to report to Congress on any such transfers. It also directed that the agency specify its system fielding plans for the next two years. Lawmakers approved significant decreases for procuring an advanced radar unit — $55 million; for command and control infrastructure — $30 million; for the Multiple Kill Vehicle program — $65 million, citing “excessive program growth”; and for midcourse defense development. The latter reduction included a $56 million cut for procurement in 2010 and 2011 and a $63 million for later procurement of interceptors for deployment in Europe. The bill approved a $67 million reduction from $391 million requested by the Missile Defense Agency for Space Tracking and Surveillance System, which is under development to help track the flight of ICBM-launched warheads. The committee urged the agency to reconsider a planned two-year delay in advanced development of the Airborne Laser and said it “strongly urges” the agency not to transfer funds from the sea-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System to other programs.
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