Reagan’s military budget cut

Press, 17 October 1986, Page 6

Reagan’s military budget cut

NZPA-Reuter Washington The United States Congress yesterday approved a SUS 292 billion ($575 billion) compromise defence bill for 1987 that slows President Ronald Reagan’s military build-up for the second straight year. The bill, which after the vote was sent to Mr Reagan for his signature, would clear the way for chemical weapons production after a 17-year moratorium and also slows the growth of “star wars” funding. The Republican-led Senate approved the measure hours after the Democrat-led House passed it, 283 to 128. Mr Reagan sought SUS32O billion ($6lO billion) for military spending in 1987. The compromise cut that request by SUS 29 billion ($57 billion), or 9 per cent, the largest reduction made in a Presidential defence request. Congress made SUS2B6 billion available for defence in 1986. When inflation is considered, the

1987 bill represents a cut of about 6 to 7 per cent in real spending authority over the last two years. After five years of unprecedented peacetime military increases, Congress, under growing budget pressure, began to halt the build-up in the 1986 bill. While supporting the compromise bill, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Barry Goldwater, said: “We are cutting too much from defence. “I have a terrible sense that we are returning to the irresponsible policies of the late 19705.” The bill was the result of tough closed-door negotiations by House and Senate military experts, who averted a threatened Presidential veto last week on the eve of the Iceland super-Power summit meeting by compromising with the White House on sweeping arms control provisions that were added by the House. As part of the compromise, the bill extends a ban on anti-satellite

weapons first enacted last year, and urges Mr Reagan to continue to abide by the unratified SALT-2 arms treaty, which he has threatened to breach later this year. Mr Reagan’s allies emphasised that this meant the President was under no legal obligation to respect the treaty. But other lawmakers emphasised Congress’ strong support for adherence to SALT and predicted that Mr Reagan will be under heavy pressure to comply with it, especially in light of his failure to reach an arms agreement with the Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev, in Reykjavik last week-end. The compromise set funding for Mr Reagan’s cherished “star wars” missile defence programme, which has become the crux of arms control talks with the Soviets, at SUS3.S billion, down SUSI.B billion, from the President’s request but 18 per cent more than 1986.

This cut was not a direct result of the Iceland summit Instead, it reflected growing Congressional concern over budget deficits; over the dramatic growth of “star wars” costs since 1983; and over Mr Reagan’s inability to satisfactorily define the scope and goal of the programme. Also as part of the compromise, the bill cleared the way for production of 155 mm artillery shells so the United States could produce a new generation of chemical weapons. A former President, Richard Nixon, halted production in 1969. The bill included funds for the technically troubled Bigeye bomb — which Mr Reagan considers the centrepiece of his new chemical programme — but bans production before October, 1987.In addition, the compromise deleted a Housepassed provision that would have prohibited Mr Reagan from removing existing chemical stockpiles from Europe unless

he replaced them with new chemical munitions. Opponents of the bill have charged that Mr Reagan’s promise to remove existing chemical weapon stockpiles from West Germany will leave N.A.T.O. defenceless against Soviet chemical weapons in Europe. The arms control compromise also included a promise for Mr Reagan to send to the Senate early next year two limited nuclear weapons testing treaties negotiated in the mid 19705. In exchange, the House dropped a ban on most testing. The bill included sweeping provisions to reform Pentagon procurement practices and to reorganise special forces such as the Green Berets under a centralised structure. It fully funded the Stealth advanced-techno-logy bomber; refused to keep alive the Bl bomber after 100 planes are produced; and provided SUSI.S billion for another Trident nuclear submarine.