European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - February 08, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Tuesday february 8, 1994 1995 Federal budget the stars and stripes Page 5 defense outlays As a share of Gross Domestic product manpower Levels in thousands 12%r 0% 50 55 source Dod 60 65 70 75 80 fiscal year 85 90 95 9$ is Active military Down 32%  20% civilian Down 29% fiscal i t Bottom up review goal source Dod Pentagon request seeks Middle a by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau Washington the Pentagon unveiled a $263.7 billion budget request for fiscal 1995 that attempts to straddle the Fence Between those who want More de sense spending cuts and those who think the military budget is already being gutted. The budget would give the Pentagon about $3 billion More in new spending authority than last year. That increase represents Money added by the Clinton administration Only weeks ago to fund the military pay raise mandated by con Gress last summer. Pentagon officials frankly acknowledged that the budget proposal contains no surprises. Its hold the line approach is something of a Victory for Les Aspin the recently departed defense chief who sought to Stem further cuts in military spending beyond what the White House has proposed already. In halting the decline in defense spending the administration is looking to head off mounting criticism of its ability to pay for the newly conceived strategy of maintaining forces that can win two major regional conflicts nearly simultaneously. New defense Secretary William j. Perry said the budget proposal which places a heavy emphasis on readiness has enough Money to begin putting As pin s Bottom up review of . Defense needs and the strategy on two regional conflicts into effect. The budget increases spending for readiness sustains current rates for flying hours and operations and ensures that our military has what it needs to keep . Forces ready to fight Perry said. The spending blueprint contains $92.9 defense budget allocations in billions of dollars 0partmrt of engy fun Tor Nuder Mapow Reta cd activities Are not of Tom in total but an  --.-. To military personnel operation and maintenance procurement research and development military construction family housing other total fiscal 93 76.0 89.2 52.8 38.0 46 l9- 3.0 267.4 fiscal -94 70.8 88.0 44.5 348 6.0 35 1.5 249.0 change -0.3 49 a. -1.2 1.4 10 -0.2 -0.6 3.2 fiscal 95 70.5 92.9 43.3 36.2 50. 3.3 09 252.2 billion for operations and maintenance which pays for training exercises weapons and facilities maintenance and inter National assignments such As the Mission in Somalia. _ that is a 5.6 percent increase com pared with the current fiscal year by far the biggest jump in any spending account. In fact the Only other account that would increase under the budget plan is research and development which would Rise by 4 percent. The military personnel construction and procurement accounts would All de Cline slightly. Perry said the benefits of the increase in operations and maintenance funding will be magnified because the extra Money will support a smaller Force Struc Ture and weapons inventory. That would allow the services to make significant dents in such things As depot maintenance backlogs which have grown Over the past couple of years. The budget plan Calls for boosting funds for depot maintenance by 20 percent. Is the Navy and air Force in particular will see More Money for ship overhauls and aircraft maintenance. A Large share of the increased operations and maintenance Money will be used by the army to increase its training time and to position combat equipment at sea. For example the average number of Miles a tank can be driven for training purposes will Rise from 620 this year to 800 in fiscal 1995. In terms of personnel the services now have slightly fewer than 1,680,000 Active duty members a figure that will drop to about 1,621,000 by the end of the current fiscal year. The new budget proposal anticipates that the figure will drop to 1,526,000 by the end of fiscal 1995. The administration s Overall defense plan Calls for an eventual Active duty Force of 1,460,000 troops. During fiscal 1995, the budget proposal would Cut 30,000 troops from the army 39,000 from the Navy and 26,000 from the air Force. The Marine corps would hold steady at 174,000 troops. The Penta gon plans to reduce the Active duty Force by an average of 7,100  month in fiscal 1995. The request provides a 1.6 percent Mil itary pay raise for service members effective in january the lowest raise in More than a decade. Funding for procurement would drop by $1.2 billion in fiscal 1995. Most of those savings would come from cancelling purchases of several dozen Navy heavy lift helicopters As Well As the air Force f 16 fighter. The Pentagon tried to kill the f-16 last year but was rebuffed by lawmakers whose districts would have lost jobs. The budget proposal Calls for modern izing and procuring a few key weapons systems. There is Money for development of the e and f models of the f/a-18 Hor net fighter the new f-22 aircraft and the army s Comanche armed reconnaissance helicopter As Well As for the construction of three Navy destroyers and one aircraft Carrier. The plan also contains research and development funds for a new generation attack submarine. A senior defense department official said the Pentagon also plans to seek fund in fiscal 1996 to build another sea Wolf submarine. The official defended the decision to continue such research and development because they arc parts of the Industrial base that the Pentagon must keep alive until the time comes to begin full scale production of the next generation of at tack subs. We need to preserve key elements of the Industrial base that would otherwise disappear the official said. Overseas Force spared cutbacks by Chuck Virchand Cindy Killion Washington Bureau Washington the military Over seas Force Structure has escaped the Clin ton administration s budget a in the pro posed 1995 budget military officials say. Maintaining a robust Forward presence abroad is a key Tenet of former defense Secretary Les Aspin s Bottom up re View of . Defense needs. Service officials say that the overseas draw Down is largely Complete and that there will be few changes in fiscal 1995. In fact some additions to the Force Structure Are geared specifically toward bolstering . Capabilities abroad. For example the decision to seek funding for a new Navy aircraft Carrier was driven mainly by the need to main Tain our overseas presence a senior de sense department official said. The army which is bearing the Brunt of the european draw Down is nearly finished with that task and now is looking to Fine tune its stateside Force Structure said a senior army budget official. At the end of fiscal 1995, the army will have about 65,000 troops in Europe about a third of its size in 1989, he said. Along with the easing of the draw Down turbulence troops in Europe can look Forward to a fiscal 1995 overseas military construction program that if fully funded by Congress would be relatively Gener Ous compared with recent years. The Overall military construction Bud get including family housing would de Cline from $9.5 billion this year to about $8.3 billion in fiscal 1995. But 13 specified projects in Europe to taling about $81 million Are on the Penta gon s wish list a significant increase Over the fiscal 1994 budget request. Several of the projects Are Quality of life initiatives. The budget asks for $6.2 million for two child development centers at Span Dahlem a Germany and the St. Mawgan joint maritime communications Center in the United kingdom. Improvements at the naval support activity Naples in Italy continue. The budget asks for 519.4 million to build Bachelor enlisted quarters there and $9.1 million for the second phase of upgrades to Quality of life facilities in the Community. The budget also asks for $13.8 million for Bachelor enlisted quarters at Nassi Gonella Sicily and $3.7 million for an addition to the dormitory at Raf Laken Heath England. Other projects in Europe on the list in elude a $1.2 million hazardous waste Stor age facility and $11.2 million sewer sys tem at Ramstein a Germany. A $7.2 million upgrade to the sewage system and treatment Plant at Span Dah Leman. Average monthly losses Active duty military Reserve forces civilian personnel Battle Force ships primary authorize aircraft combat battalions bases closed fiscal94 7,800 2,750 1,165 4 41 .25 1 fiscal a 7,100 3,800 4,100 1 37 1 1 Bource Dods a e a $2.9 million refuse incinerator atlases Field azores. E a $3.1 million aircraft parking apron at naval support activity Souda Bay i Crete. An $850,000 upgrade to the f-15e munitions maintenance facility and a $2.6 million upgrade to the storm drainage system at Raf Lakenheath