Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Highlights From House Appropriations Committee Action on the FY 08 Defense Appropriations Bill

The Center’s Travis Sharp released his Arms Control and Non-Proliferation Highlights From House Appropriations Committee Action on the FY 2008 Defense Appropriations Bill (H.R. 3222) today. It includes a more thorough scrubbing of numbers from an earlier post, expands on a follow-up post, and also includes additional fresh details on the bill.

The House Appropriations Committee completed its markup of the Fiscal Year 2008 Defense Appropriations bill (H.R. 3222) on July 25. The bill includes $459.6 billion for the Department of Defense, $3.5 billion below the Bush Administration’s request of $463.1 billion and $39.7 billion above FY 2007 levels (excluding supplemental war funding). H.R. 3222 does NOT fund the Administration’s request of $141.7 billion for FY 2008 military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Besides inserting 1,791 individual member earmarks, the House Appropriations Committee took noteworthy action on Conventional Trident Modification, Cooperative Threat Reduction (Nunn-Lugar), Missile Defense, Reliable Replacement Warhead, Space Programs, and Strategic Nuclear Forces and Delivery Systems.

The full House is expected to consider the Defense Appropriations bill on Friday, August 3. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet scheduled action on the bill.

CONVENTIONAL TRIDENT MODIFICATION (CTM)

Zeroes out the Navy’s combined procurement and research and development request of $175 million, but provides $100 million in defense-wide research and development funding for prompt global strike technologies such as “propulsion and guidance systems, mission planning, re-entry vehicle design, modeling and simulation efforts, and launch system infrastructure.” DoD must also submit a report on CTM initiatives by January 31, 2008. (pp. 216, 379)

COOPERATIVE THREAT REDUCTION (NUNN-LUGAR)

Provides $398 million for the Cooperative Threat Reduction nonproliferation program in DoD’s operation and maintenance funding, $50 million above the request and $26 million above FY 2007 funding levels. (pp. 74, 156-58)

Of this $398 million, $172 million goes to Russia ($34 million above request), $201 million goes to other states of the former Soviet Union ($10 million above request), $19 million goes to assessments and administrative costs (meets request), and $7 million goes to new initiatives (not requested). (pp. 156-58)

Of the $172 million in funding for Russia, $93 million is for strategic offensive arms elimination ($15 million above request, will go to eliminating two Delta III submarines and associated SS-N-18 missiles), $40 million is for nuclear weapons storage security ($17 million above request, will go to accelerating nuclear warhead security work pursuant to the Bratislava agreement), $38 million is for nuclear weapons transportation security (meets request), and $1 million is for chemical weapons destruction (not requested, will go to completing the Shchuch’ye chemical weapons destruction project). (pp. 156-58)

Of the $201 million in funding for other states of the former Soviet Union, $145 million is for biological threat reduction (meets request), $48 million is for weapons of mass destruction proliferation prevention ($10 million above request, will go to completing the Kazakhstan infrastructure project), and $8 million is for defense and military contacts (meets request). (pp. 156-58)

The $7 million in new initiatives is for DoD “to work closely with the relevant congressional committees in identifying and determining new avenues to pursue,” and includes $348,000 to upgrade Cooperative Threat Reduction staff and resources. (pp. 156-58)

MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY PROGRAMS

Provides $8.5 billion for research and development on missile defense programs, $298 million below the request and $883 million below FY 2007 levels. The Committee includes a $139 million cut from the $310 million defense-wide research and development request for the Ballistic Missile Defense European Component due to the Committee’s belief “that it is premature to provide full funding for the European Component given the uncertainty surrounding the program.” (pp. 17, 382-83)

The Ballistic Missile Defense European Component would consist of a European Interceptor site in Poland, a Midcourse Radar in the Czech Republic, and the fielding of a Forward Based Radar (AN-TPY-2). The projected cost exceeds $4 billion through FY 2013 just for the tactical portion of the proposal, but this estimate leaves out costs for barracks, family housing, personnel costs for manning the facilities, and other costs associated with infrastructure at a military facility. (pp. 382-83)

The Committee adds $57 million to the $1 billion defense-wide research and development request for Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, commending the program “for showing progress and promise” and instructing the Missile Defense Agency to “fully fund and execute the Aegis program as Congress intends.” $22 million of the additional Aegis funding is for ballistic signal processor and open architecture, $20 million is for upgrading two additional Aegis destroyers (Arleigh Burke Class), and $15 million is for pursuing “asymmetric” missile defense issues like cruise missile defense, which raised Committee concerns “about the lack of an integrated defense of the homeland against cruise missile, other low altitude aircraft and short range missile attacks.” The Committee also directs the Secretary of Defense to provide a report to Congress within 90 days of enactment “to ensure progress toward fielding this [cruise missile defense] critical capability.” (pp. 5, 17, 289, 379, 385)

An increase of $70 million above the request is provided for missile defense programs in cooperation with Israel and an increase of $145 million above the defense-wide research and development request is provided for the Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI). The Missile Defense Agency reduced its FY 2008 request for KEI by $178 million to $228 million and “de-scoped” it to “a booster program aimed at replacing the Ground-based Midcourse Interceptor.” The Committee “disagrees with this change and has provided additional funding in an effort to accelerate this much-needed capability.” (pp. 383-84)

Provides $274 million for the Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV) program, $3 million above the defense-wide research and development request, and encourages the Missile Defense Agency to “accelerate development and delivery of the MKV capability.” The Committee designates the MKV program as a congressional special interest item subject to prior approval reprogramming. (pp. 379, 385)

Requires the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) to develop a system-wide reporting plan in order to improve the accountability and transparency of its programs. This new plan must be delivered to the congressional defense committees with the submission of the FY 2009 budget and updated semi-annually thereafter. (pp. 382)

Finally, language is included in the bill’s General Provisions mandating that National Guard personnel serving on full-time duty may perform duties in support of the ground-based elements of the National Ballistic Missile Defense System. Another provision prohibits funds from being used “for the research, development, test, evaluation, procurement, or deployment of nuclear armed interceptors of a missile defense system.” (pp. 416, 417)

RELIABLE REPLACEMENT WARHEAD (RRW)

Zeroes out the Administration’s $30 million request for Navy research and development on Reliable Replacement Warhead. Additional RRW funding was requested for the Department of Energy in the House FY 2008 Energy and Water Appropriations bill, but the Committee zeroed out that funding as well. (pp. 340)

SPACE PROGRAMS (NOTE: Some programs below are administered by MDA)

Concluding that “funding for some of these follow-on systems is requested ahead of need,” the Committee cut Air Force research and development requests for the Alternative Infrared Satellite System by $155 million and Global Positioning III by $80 million.

The Committee funds the Space Radar program at the FY 2007 level of $186 million even though the Administration requested no funding for it in FY 2008. (pp. 355, 356, 361, 363)

For Air Force research and development on Space Situational Awareness, the Committee provides $198 million, including adding to the request $10 million for Space Fence upgrades, $25 million for Space Control Technology, and $20 million for Operationally Responsive Space. These efforts, associated with “responsive launch, payload, and bus development,” were added by the Committee “in light of the recent Chinese anti-satellite test.” (pp. 355, 356, 362-63)

Provides $31 million for defense-wide research and development on the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) proposed follow-on space system, the same amount as in FY 2007 adjusted for inflation. This is $75 million below the request of $106 million. The Committee expressed a desire to see the results of two demonstration satellite test launches in 2008 that “will allow the Missile Defense Agency to develop sensor requirements and a concept of operations that will drive the follow-on space system.” (pp. 378, 383)

The Committee zeroed out the Administration’s $10 million defense-wide research and development request for the Space Test Bed. This program is intended to add a “space-based defensive layer” to complement other ballistic missile defense systems. (pp. 379)

The Committee also cancelled the $7 million defense-wide research and development request for the Micro Electric Propulsion (MEP) program intended to develop new propulsion technologies for small satellites and spacecraft. (pp. 375)

STRATEGIC NUCLEAR FORCES AND DELIVERY SYSTEMS

Maintains 14 fleet ballistic missile submarines and nine strategic bomber squadrons in FY 2008, the same numbers as in FY 2007. The bill maintains 495 ICBM launch facilities and control centers and 450 Minuteman missiles in FY 2008, the same numbers as in FY 2007. (pp. 20-21)

The complete analysis can be found here.