Summary
S. 1547, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2008, would authorize $648 billion in budget authority for defense
programs in Fiscal Year 2008. This amount is consistent with the Fiscal
Year 2008 Budget Resolution, and consistent with the President’s overall
request for the national defense budget, which included a base budget request
of $507 billion and a war-related funding request for $141.8 billion. The
bill would, however, shift approximately $12 billion from the war-related
request to the base budget to pay for programs that are ongoing, or related to
increasing the size of the Army and Marine Corps, and not directly related to
operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The amount represents an increase of $40 billion, or 8.5 percent in real
terms, above the amount authorized for Fiscal Year 2007. Similar growth
comparisons for the cost of the entire bill are not possible because the Fiscal
Year 2007 bill included funding for only one half year’s cost of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, while the Fiscal Year
2008 bill includes an entire year’s funding.
Major Provisions
Procurement
S. 1574 includes $109.8 billion in base budget authority for
procurement, which is $8.18 billion more than the President’s budget
request. Additionally, the bill authorizes $36.7 billion in funds for
war-related procurement, which is $12.2 billion below the requested amount.
Mine Resistant Ambush
Protected (MRAP) vehicles: S.
1574 would authorize an additional $4.1 billion in funds to fulfill all of
the military services’ unfunded requirements for MRAP vehicles, which includes
almost $1.9 billion for Marine Corps vehicles, over $1.5 billion for Army
vehicles, $430 million for Air Force vehicles, $124 million for SOCOM vehicles,
and $21 million for Navy vehicles.
Army: S. 1574 includes $32.2 billion in base budget authority for
Army procurement, which is $8.4 billion above the President’s budget request
and authorizes an additional $17.7 billion for Fiscal Year 2008 procurement of
war-related items, which is 8.7 billion below the war-related funding
request. The bill’s Army procurement provisions would:
· Authorize an additional $2.7 billion in funds for
items on the Army Chief of Staff’s Unfunded Requirements List, including $775.1
million for Stryker vehicle requirements, $207.4 million for aviation
survivability equipment, $102.4 million for combat training centers, and
funding for explosive ordnance disposal equipment, night vision devices, and
machine guns.
· Grant the Secretary of the Army the authority to
enter into multiyear contracts for the procurement of M1A2 Abrams Tank System
Enhancement Package Upgrades and M2A3/M3A3 Bradley fighting vehicle upgrades.
· Provide $7.5 billion in procurement for weapons and tracked
combat vehicles.
· Authorize $2.2 billion for ammunition procurement,
$38.4 million above the requested amount.
· Provide $2.18 billion for missile procurement.
Navy and Marine Corps: The bill would include the following base budget
authority: $35.6 billion for Navy procurement; $2.7 billion for Marine Corps
procurement; and $926.6 million for Navy and Marine Corps ammunition.
Further, the bill would include an additional $9.3 billion for Fiscal Year 2008
procurement of war-related items for the Navy and Marine Corps, which is $2.9
billion below the President’s request.
Navy
The bill would:
·
Authorize the construction of five warships and would
authorize the Secretary of the Navy to enter into a multi-year contract for
Fiscal Years 2009 to 2013 for the procurement of Virginia class submarines.
·
Authorize an increase of $470 million in
advance procurement authority to allow for the procurement of an additional
submarine in Fiscal Year 2010.
·
Reduce funding for the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program
by $430.5 million, and require that future ships purchased under the program be
competitively awarded with increased cost-control measures.
Marine Corps
The bill would:
·
Authorize $1.2 billion to purchase six
Marine Corps Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Aircraft.
·
Reduce funding for the Marine Corps
Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle by $100 million.
Air Force: The bill would include $34.9 billion in base budget
authority for Air Force procurement, which is $1.12 billion above the requested
amount. Additionally, S. 1574 would provide $6.3 billion for
Fiscal Year 2008 procurement for war-related items, which is $864.5 million
below the requested amount. The bill would:
· Prohibit the retirement of any C-130E/H tactical
airlift aircraft during Fiscal Year 2008. It also would prohibit the
retirement of KC-135E aircraft during Fiscal Year 2008, unless the Air Force
provides congressional defense committees with a request in accordance with
established procedures.
· Provide $87.7 million, which is $14 million over the
President’s request, for the procurement of aircraft installation kits for the
large aircraft infrared countermeasures (LAIRCM) system for C-130
aircraft. The LAIRCM system provides protection against man-portable air
defense systems (MANPADS), which have been used by terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan against military and
civilian aircraft.
· Authorize $1.4 billion to purchase six Air Force
Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Aircraft.
· Authorize an additional $125 million for advanced
procurement for a fourth Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications
satellite and $10 million for Ultra High Frequency to reduce the risk of
communications gaps.
· Authorize an additional $100 million for the
Space-Based Infrared Satellite System (SBIRS) GEO-4 and $26.7 million for the
SBIRS backup control station.
Defense-wide:
Provide $3.39 billion in base budget
authority for defense-wide procurement funding, which is $124 million above the
President’s budget request. Additionally, the bill would include $3.38 billion
in Fiscal Year 2008 procurement for defense-wide, war-related procurement,
which is $67 million above the requested amount.
Rapid
Acquisition Fund: The bill would authorize
$100 million for the Rapid Acquisition Fund, equal to the President’s budget
request.
Research, Development, Test, and
Evaluation (RDT&E)
S.
1574 would include $74.67 billion in
RDT&E base budget authority, which is $458 million less than the President’s
budget request. The amount includes $11.3 billion for the Army, $16.3
billion for the Navy, $25.6 billion for the Air Force, $21.3 billion for
Defense-Wide activities, and $180.2 million for Operational Test &
Evaluation. Additionally, the bill would authorize $1.95 billion in
war-related spending for RDT&E, which is $907 million below the requested
amount.
General highlights.
The bill would:
- Fully fund the President’s budget request for
$3.6 billion for the Army’s Future Combat Systems (FCS), and add $90
million to restore funding for Armed Robotic Vehicles and $25 million to
accelerate the development of the FCS active protective system.
- Include a provision that would require the
Secretary of Defense to obligate sufficient annual amounts to develop and
procure a competitive propulsion system for the Joint Strike Fight (JSF)
program. The bill would also authorize an additional $480 million
for this program.
- Authorize an additional $300 million to provide
increased space situational awareness capabilities to address concerns
raised as a result of the recent Chinese kinetic anti-satellite weapons
test.
Ballistic
missile defense. The bill would authorize a total of $10.1 billion for
ballistic missile defense, which is $231 million below the budget request for
the Missile Defense Agency. Specifically, the bill would:
- Authorize $315 million in increases to
near-term, missile defense programs, including additions of $75 million to
procure 25 additional PAC-3 missiles; $75 million for the Aegis Ballistic
Missile Defense Program (BMD); $105 million for the Terminal High Altitude
Area Defense (THAAD) system; $25 million for co-production of the Arrow
missile; $10 million to study the suitability of the THAAD missile to
serve as a follow-on to Israel’s Arrow system; and $25 million for
accelerated joint development of a short-range ballistic missile defense
(SRBMD) system for Israel.
- Decrease authorized funding requests for
far-term, lower priority programs, including reductions of: $85 million
for the proposed European missile defense deployment; $200 million for the
Airborne Laser program; $150 million for BMD Special Programs; $50 million
for BMD Systems Core; $55 million for the Space Tracking and Surveillance
System; and $10 million for a space test bed.
- Include a provision that would limit the use of
funds for construction and deployment activities for the proposed European
missile defense deployment until certain conditions are met, primarily the
approval of any negotiated bilateral agreements with the host nations.
- Include other legislative provisions on
budgetary and reporting requirements, and other matters to improve
oversight, transparency, and accountability.
Science
and technology initiatives.
S. 1547 authorizes $11.2 billion for
the Defense Science and Technology programs, which is nearly $450 million over
the President’s request. The bill would include increased funding over
the President’s request for the development of advanced technologies to support
current operational needs and develop new capabilities to defeat emerging
threats, including:
- Nearly $50 million on combat casualty care and
military medical research, including efforts on treating blast injuries
and brain trauma.
- Nearly $85 million for advanced manufacturing
research and processes to reduce the production costs of weapons systems,
and improve DoD’s
ability to surge production of critical items, including body and vehicle
armor.
- More than $70 million in research and
technologies to enhance the force protection of deployed units.
- Nearly $75 million for advanced energy and power
technologies, including programs to develop hybrid engines and biofuels for military systems.
- Nearly $65 million for defense-related research
at U.S.
universities.
Operation and Maintenance
S. 1547 would authorize $143.5 billion for operations and
maintenance, which is $607 million above the base budget request. The
bill includes an additional $72 billion in war-related funding authority for
Operation and Maintenance.
General highlights. The bill would:
- Authorize an increase of $77 million for Navy
aircraft depot maintenance unfunded requirements.
- Authorize an additional $15 million for Army
training range modernization and improvements.
- Authorize an increase of $12 million to
accelerate fielding of the Defense Readiness Reporting System (DRRS), the
new military readiness reporting and management system.
- Authorize an additional $20 million to help
create buffer zones around military installations to protect and enhance
military training ranges.
- Include a provision to require the Director of
Defense Research and Engineering, under the oversight of the Director of
Operational Test and Evaluation, to conduct a comprehensive technical
assessment of commercially available body armor systems that claim to meet
military standards.
Military
Personnel Authorizations
End strength. The bill would:
- Authorize the following end strengths for active
duty personnel by the end of Fiscal Year 2008: 525,400 for the Army,
which is consistent with the President’s combined requested end strength
in the base budget and Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental; 328,400 for the
Navy, which is consistent with the President’s request and 12,300 less
than Fiscal Year 2007 authorization; 189,000 for the Marine Corps, which
is consistent with the President’s combined requested end strength in the
base budget and Fiscal Year 2008 supplemental; and 328,600 for the Air
Force, which is consistent with the President’s request and 5,600 less
than Fiscal Year 2007 authorization.
- Authorize an end
strength of 351,300 for the Army National Guard, which is equal to the
President’s request. The bill also would authorize the following end
strengths for selected reserve personnel by the end of Fiscal Year 2008, consistent
with the President’s request: 205,000 Army Reserve, 67,800 Naval Reserve,
39,600 Marine Corps Reserve, 106,700 Air National Guard, 67,500 Air Force
Reserve, and 10,000 Coast Guard Reserve.
- Authorize increases of full-time support end
strengths, which is in line with the President’s request, for the National
Guard and Reserve for Fiscal Year 2008 as follows: 1,793 additional Army
National Guard, 454 in the Army Reserve, 645 Air National Guard, and 14
for the Air Force Reserve. All other components would maintain
Fiscal Year 2007 levels, with the exception of the Navy Reserve, which
would undergo a decrease of 985 personnel consistent with overall end
strength reduction.
- Authorize total end strength levels through the
regular budget, rather than through a combination of emergency
supplemental appropriations and the regular budget.
Authorization
of appropriations. S.
1547 would authorize a total of $135 billion in appropriations for the
Department of Defense for military personnel, including costs of pay,
allowances, bonuses, death benefits, and permanent change of station
moves. Specifically, the bill would:
- Include $109 billion in base budget authority
for military personnel, which is $3.95 billion above the President’s
budget request. The increase includes a shift of funds from the
supplemental budget to the base budget to fund the end strength requested,
and an additional $302 million for a 3.5 percent across-the-board pay
raise for all uniformed service personnel.
- Include $12.9 billion in war-related authority
for military personnel, which is $4.1 billion below the requested amount
due in part to the move of the end strength overstrength
to the base budget.
- Include $50 million in supplemental educational
aid to local school districts that are affected by the assignment or
location of military families, including $35 million for supplemental
Impact Aid; $5 million for educational services to severely disabled
children; and an additional $10 million for districts experiencing rapid
increases in the number of students due to rebasing, activation of new
military units, or base realignment and closure.
Military
Personnel Policy
Regulation
of armed contractors operating on the battlefield in Iraq
and Afghanistan. The
report accompanying the bill would require the Department of Defense to clarify
which provisions of the Uniform Code of Military Justice will apply to armed
contractors operating on the battlefield.
Army
company-grade officer retention. The report accompanying S. 1547 would call on the
Secretary of the Army to review the programs and incentives in place, and
consider additional opportunities to increase company-grade officer
retention. The Secretary would be required to submit a report to
congressional defense committees by March 1, 2008.
Family
Readiness Council. The report accompanying the bill would require the
Secretary of Defense to establish a Family Readiness Council and develop a
comprehensive policy and plans to improve the support for and the coordination
of family readiness programs.
Review of sexual assault
policies. The bill would
direct the Comptroller General to conduct a review of the policies in place
within the military departments for preventing and responding to sexual
assaults, including an assessment of the adequacy of mental health resources
available to victims of sexual assault.
Expanding
access to mental health professionals in military units. The
report accompanying S. 1547 would require the Secretary of Defense to
provide an assessment of the potential value of embedding military health
professionals in military units, with the interest of increasing access to
mental health care and reducing the stigma associated with seeking mental health
services in the military.
Addressing
the changing role and missions of the National Guard and Reserves. S. 1547 includes provisions that would:
- Increase the grade of the Chief of the National
Guard Bureau from Lieutenant General to General and expand the duties of
and eligibility requirements for the position.
- Require the Secretary of Defense, in
consultation with the Secretaries of the Army and Air Force and Chairmen
of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to prescribe the charter of the National
Guard Bureau.
- Enhance the authority for National Guard and
Reserve general and flag officers to serve on active duty.
- Authorize federal civilian employees who are in
the National Guard or Reserves to continue their coverage under the
Federal Employees Group Life Insurance for up to 24 months when mobilized.
Compensation
and Other Personnel Benefits
3.5 percent military pay
raise. Like the House-passed
bill, S. 1547 would authorize a 3.5 percent across-the-board pay raise
for military personnel (rather than the 3 percent requested by the President),
effective January 1, 2008. This 3.5 percent pay raise was cited as one of
the key objections to the House-passed bill by the Bush Administration in its
formal Statement of Administration Policy on H.R. 1585.
Bonuses and special pays. S. 1547 would authorize the payment of
more than 25 types of bonuses and special pays, for encouraging recruitment and
retention, including the Selected Reserve reenlistment bonus and affiliation or
enlistment bonus, the Ready Reserve enlistment and reenlistment bonuses, the
prior service enlistment bonus, the enlistment and reenlistment bonuses for
active duty members, and the retention bonus for service members with critical
military skills.
Reserve
retired pay. The bill would
reduce the age at which a member of the Ready Reserve could draw retired pay by
three months for every aggregate 90 days of active duty under certain
mobilization authorities.
Combat-related special compensation. S. 1547 would authorize payment of compensation to service members medically
retired for a combat-related disability, which would be equal to the amount of
retired pay forfeited because of the prohibition on concurrent receipt of
military retired pay and VA disability compensation.
Death gratuity. The bill includes a provision that would allow
a service member to designate in writing any individual to receive the death
gratuity benefit.
Survivor
Benefit Plan (SBP). S. 1547
includes a provision that would allow guardians or caretakers of dependent
children to receive SBP benefits.
Citizenship requirements. The
bill includes a provision that would amend the Immigration and Nationality Act
to allow certain spouses and children of service members residing under orders
in other countries to treat their time accompanying the service member as
residence in the United
States for the purpose of fulfilling
citizenship requirements.
Education benefits. The bill would authorize tuition assistance
for off-duty training or education for members of the Ready Reserve and also
would authorize the expansion of the education loan repayment program to
members of the Selected Reserve.
Health
Care
S. 1574 would:
- Authorize $24.6 billion for the defense health
program, which includes a $1.9 billion adjustment by the Budget
Resolution to fund TRICARE benefits in Fiscal Year 2008.
- Reject the Administration’s proposal to grant DoD the authority to increase
TRICARE program cost sharing amounts for military retirees and their
dependents. The Committee report identifies this proposal as
“premature,” and states that an increase, if any, in TRICARE fees should
not be considered until the Task Force on the Future of Military Health
Care completes its comprehensive study, which was mandated by last year’s
bill.
- Authorize the
use of federal pricing limits for prescriptions filled through the TRICARE
retail pharmacy network on or after October 1, 2007.
- Require the Secretary of Defense to continue to
conduct surveys and provide assessments to improve the adequacy of
civilian health care providers in delivering health care and mental health
care services to TRICARE-eligible beneficiaries, including for members of
the Selected Reserve.
- (The report accompanying the bill) would direct DoD to study and develop a
plan to address the findings of the Army medical department’s fourth
assessment of the mental health and well-being of soldiers and marines in Iraq (the
Mental Health Advisory Team IV), including findings that multiple and
lengthy deployments lead to higher levels of mental stress and marital
problems. The report also requires DoD to report on the extent to which those
findings were taken into consideration in the decision to extend the
length of Army tours from 12 to 15 months.
- (The report accompanying the bill would) require
the Comptroller General to conduct a study of the effectiveness of the
post-deployment health reassessment of military personnel who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Include a number of provisions that would
authorize the use of new bonuses, increased special pays, and incentive
programs to ensure that the military is able to attract and retain health
care personnel.
Acquisition
Policy and Management
- Acquisition Workforce Development Fund. The bill includes a provision that would require
the Secretary of Defense to establish an Acquisition Workforce Development
Fund to ensure that DoD
has the workforce capacity to properly perform its mission, ensure
effective oversight of contractor performance and provide the best value
of public resources.
- Whistleblower protections. S. 1574 would strengthen statutory protections available
to contractor employees who disclose fraud, waste, and abuse on DoD contracts. This
would, for the first time, grant a private right of action for contractor
employees who are subject to reprisal for their efforts to protect
taxpayers’ interests.
- Regulations for private security
contractors. This
legislation would require the Secretary of Defense to prescribe
regulations on the selection, training, equipment, and conduct of
personnel performing private security functions in an area of combat
operations.
Department
of Defense Organization and Management
Space posture review. S. 1574 would require the
Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the
Director of National Intelligence, to conduct a comprehensive review of the
space posture of the United
States.
General
Provisions
S. 1547 would:
- Provide a fair process for reviewing the status
of DoD detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The provision
would require that detainees receive legal representation, provide for
legal rulings to be made by military judges, and prohibit the use of
statements that are obtained through cruel and inhuman treatment of a
detainee.
- Authorize
Fiscal Year 2008 transfer authority to DoD for amounts up to $5 billion for transfer of
funds to unforeseen higher priority needs in accordance with reprogramming
procedures.
- Authorize the
U.S.
contribution to NATO common-funded budgets for Fiscal Year 2008, including
the use of unexpended balances from previous years.
- Authorize DoD to provide counter-drug
support to Mexico and
the Dominican Republic.
- Authorize the
creation of a National Foreign Language Coordination Council to ensure
that the Administration’s current efforts to promote foreign language
competency will develop into an organized and concerted effort to improve
the nation’s foreign language capabilities.
- Direct the
Comptroller General to review DoD
programs to improve language and cultural awareness.
- Include a
provision that would assign fixed-wing intra-theater
airlift functions and missions to the Air Force and shifts Army aircraft
and funding in Fiscal Year 2008 to the Air Force.
- Include a
provision that would require the Secretary of Defense
in the next Administration to conduct a new nuclear posture review.
- Include a
provision that would require the director or head of any department, agency,
or element of the intelligence community to respond to the Armed Services
Committees within 15 days of receiving a request for information.
- Authorize an
increase in the amount of rewards for assistance in combating terrorism.
Department
of Defense Civilian Personnel Policy
S. 1547 would:
- Repeal the
existing authority of DoD
to establish a new labor relations system under
the National Security Personnel System (NSPS), which would guarantee the
rights of DoD employees to union representation
in NSPS. The bill would allow DoD
to continue its work to develop a new pay-for-performance system, if it is
implemented in a manner that is consistent with existing federal labor relations law.
- The report accompanying the bill would require the
Secretary of Defense, in consultation with the
Director of the Office of Personnel Management, to report on all hiring
authorities available to DoD
for hiring civilian medical personnel.
Matters
Relating to Other Nations
Global
Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI). The bill would require
the Government Accountability Office to assess the President’s GPOI, to
determine to what extent the initiative has met its established goals and to
make recommendations for enhancing the program.
Stabilization
assistance. S. 1547 would extend and enhance DoD’s authority to provide services or transfer funds
to the State Department for police training and stabilization assistance.
U.S. strategy in Iran. The bill would prohibit the Secretary of
Defense from obligating more than 75 percent of funds available for Fiscal Year
2008 to the Office of the Under Secretary for Defense Policy until the report
on U.S. policy for Iran, as required by last year’s defense authorization, is
submitted to Congress.
Senior
coordinator on U.S. policy
toward North Korea. S. 1574 would prohibit the Secretary of Defense from obligating or expending
any funds authorized under the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
Year 2006 until the President appoints a senior coordinator on U.S. policy toward North Korea. The John
Warner National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2007 included a
provision that required the President to make such an appointment by December
2006.
Reports
on U.S. policy and military operations
in Afghanistan. The
bill would require the President to submit to congressional defense committees
regular reports on U.S.
policy and military operations in Afghanistan.
Eliminating
terrorist safe havens in Pakistan. The bill would require the President to submit
a report to congressional defense committees within 90 days of the bill’s
enactment on the U.S.
strategy for working with the government of Pakistan
to prevent the movement of al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other extremist groups
across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border and eliminate their safe havens in Pakistan.
The provision would prohibit reimbursing Pakistan
for military support it provides to U.S. military operations unless the
President certifies that the Pakistani government is making adequate efforts to
eliminate safe havens in areas under its control. The bill would allow
for a Presidential waiver of the provision on the basis of U.S. national
security interests.
Iraqi
refugee crisis. The
bill would require DoD,
in coordination with the U.S. Department of State and the U.N. High
Commissioner for Refugees, to report on initiatives with the government of Iraq
and neighboring countries to: protect internally displaced people in Iraq;
promote safe passage and resettlement of vulnerable refugees in the region; and
to plan for refugee protection in the region once there has been a drawdown of
U.S. forces in Iraq.
Missing
U.S.
personnel. The bill would authorize the equipping and training
of foreign personnel to assist in the recovery of and accounting for U.S. personnel
missing from past conflicts.
Limitation
in assistance to the government of Thailand. The
bill would restrict funding for Thailand
until after the restoration of democracy to that nation, making it consistent
with existing restrictions on Department of State funding.
Cooperative
Threat Reduction
S. 1574 would:
· Authorize $448 million for the DoD’s Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) program,
which is an increase of $100 million above the President’s request.
This increased funding includes $25 million for strategic offensive arms
elimination in Russia, $50
million for biological threat reduction, $14 million for weapons of mass
destruction proliferation prevention, $10 million for new activities in states
outside of the former Soviet Union, and $1
million in additional funds for Russian chemical weapons destructions
initiatives.
· Authorize the
Secretary of Defense to carry out CTR programs in
states outside of the former Soviet Union.
·
Include
provisions that would repeal all required annual certifications under the
program.
Other Authorizations
Chemical
weapons stockpile. The bill
includes a provision stating the sense of Congress that the United States
should make every effort to meet its legal obligation under the Chemical
Weapons Convention to destroy its entire stockpile of chemical weapons by April
2012, or as soon as possible thereafter. It also would urge that DoD budget sufficient funds for
this purpose.
Chemical weapons demilitarization. The bill would authorize an increase of $36
million to restore funds that were removed from the chemical demilitarization
program budget request, which would help avoid further delays in destroying the
U.S.
stockpile of weapons.
Supplemental Appropriations for Iraq,
Afghanistan
and the Global War on Terrorism
S. 1547 would authorize a total of $127.5 billion in
supplemental appropriations for use in Fiscal Year 2008 for ongoing operations
in Iraq, Afghanistan,
and the global war on terrorism, in addition to amounts otherwise appropriated
by the bill. As noted above, war-related authorities include: $72 billion
for operations and maintenance accounts, including $45.5 billion for the Army
account, $12.9 billion for military personnel expenses, $107.5 million for the
Iraq Freedom Fund, $1.02 billion for the Defense Health Program, and $28.3
billion for procurement. This legislation would authorize $2 billion for
the Iraq Security Forces Fund and $2.7 billion for the Afghanistan Security
Forces Fund.
Other highlights include:
· Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Office
(JIEDDO). S. 1547 would fully
fund the President’s overall request of $4.5 billion for the JIEDDO, and would
require the Office to invest at least $50 million in blast injury research and
over $150 million for the procurement of IED jammers
for the Army. The bill would transfer $500 million in requested base
budget authority to war-related budget authority.
·
No permanent bases in Iraq. The bill would extend the prohibitions in
effect during Fiscal Year 2007 against the use of funds to establish permanent
bases in Iraq
through Fiscal Year 2008.
H.R. 1585, the House version of the Fiscal Year 2008
National Defense Authorization Act, also includes an authorization of
emergency supplemental appropriations for use in ongoing operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the global war on
terrorism. H.R. 1585 authorizes $141.8 billion, including $17.4
billion for military personnel, $72.2 billion for operations and maintenance,
and $36.3 billion for procurement.
Military
Construction Authorizations
Military Construction and
Family Housing
S.
1547 would authorize $22.5 billion
for military construction and family housing, which is $460.9 million above the
President’s request, including the following amounts:
- Army: $4.05
billion for military construction in base budget funding, which is $16.5
million above the President’s request; $1.16 billion for family housing,
which is equal to the President’s request. Additionally, under Title
XXIX, War-Related Construction, the bill would authorize $762.65 million
in Army military construction, which is $13.8 million above the
President’s request.
- Navy: $2.36
billion for military construction, which is $257 million more than the
President’s request; $671.5 million for family housing, which is $1.8
million more than the President’s request. These amounts include
funding requested by the President under Title XXIX, War-Related
Construction, ($157.3 million for Navy military construction and $11.7
million for Navy housing construction) for projects to support the Marine
Corps “Grow the Force” proposal that have been transferred to the base
budget.
- Air Force: $1.05 billion for military construction, which is $134.2 million
above the President’s request; $1.05 billion for family housing, which is
equal to the President’s request.
- Defense agencies: $1.9 billion for military construction, which
is $95.8 million above the President’s request and $48.8 million for
family housing, which is equal to the President’s request.
- Family Housing Improvement Fund: $500,000 for the Fund.
- BRAC:
Fully funds the nearly $8.4 billion requested to implement the results of
the Defense Base Closure and Realignment (BRAC).
- Chemical Demilitarization Construction: The bill transfers the $86.2 billion included
in the President’s request as a separate account to the Defense Agencies
military construction account and adds $18 million to accelerate the
program.
- NATO Security Investment Program: $201.4 million, which is equal to the requested
amount.
National Guard and
Reserve Facilities
S. 1547 would authorize a total of $895.3 million, which is
$200 million above the President’s request, for acquisition and construction of
facilities for use by the National Guard and Reserve, including the following:
·
$458.5 million for the Army National
Guard.
·
$134.7 million for the Army Reserve.
·
$59.15 million for the Naval and Marine
Corps Reserve.
·
$216.4 million for the Air National
Guard.
·
$26.5 million for the Air Force Reserve.
Department
of Energy (DOE) National Security Programs
National
Nuclear Security Administration. S. 1547 would authorize $9.5 billion for the National
Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which is $102.9 million above the
requested amount, including the following:
- Nonproliferation: a total of $1.8 billion for defense nuclear
nonproliferation activities, including the Fiscal Year 2008 war-related
funding request, which is $87 million above the combined budget request.
- Weapons activities: $6.5 billion for weapons activities of the
NNSA, which is $39.1 million below President Bush’s budget request.
- Naval reactors: $808.2 million in funds for Naval
reactors, which is in line with the President’s request.
- Office of Administration: $399.7 million for the Office of
Administration, which is $5 million above the President’s
request.
- Defense environmental cleanup: $5.4 billion for defense environmental cleanup,
which is $47 million above the budget request.
- Other defense activities: $663.1 million for other defense activities,
which is $100.9 million below the budget request.
- Defense nuclear waste disposal: $242 million for defense nuclear waste disposal,
which is $50 million below the requested amount.
Program Authorizations, Restrictions, and Limitations
- Reliable Replacement Warhead program. The bill would reduce the amount authorized for
this program by $43 million, for a total of $195.1 million, and also would
limit program activities in Fiscal Year 2008 to phase 2A and below.
Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. S. 1547 would authorize $27.5 million to the Board, which is
$5 million above the requested amount.
Legislative History
On June 29, 2007, the Senate
Select Committee on Intelligence favorably reported S. 1547, (Senate
Report 110-125)
with four recommended amendments. The Intelligence Committee recommended two amendments to
Section 1032(a) that would amend the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005
to establish requirements for procedures that govern Combatant Status Review
Tribunals (CSRTs). Both amendments are viewed by the Intelligence Committee as fully
consistent with the intentions of the Armed Services Committee.
The Intelligence
Committee recommended a third amendment to delete Section 1063 of the
bill. This section established rules on responses to requests by the Armed
Services Committees to elements of the Intelligence Community for documents or
other intelligence information. In its report accompanying the bill, the
Intelligence Committee asserted that any such change in procedures should be
considered comprehensively and not by establishing separate standards for
different committees.
The fourth
recommended amendment strikes section 1064 of S. 1547. This
section repeals an existing statute that bars Defense Department employees from
holding security clearances if that employee: 1) has at any time been
incarcerated for more than a year for a criminal offense; 2) is currently an
unlawful drug user or is addicted to a controlled substance; or 3) is mentally
incompetent.
The Senate Armed Services
Committee reported S. 1547 on June 5, 2007, by voice vote. The
House of Representatives passed H.R. 1585, the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008, on May 17, 2007 by a vote of 397 to
27.
Previous Votes
On June 6, 2006, the Senate
passed S. 2766, the John Warner National Defense Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 2007, by a vote of 96 to 0. On September 29, 2006,
the conference report for the substitute bill, H.R. 5122, was agreed to
in the House by a vote of 398 to 23. On September 30, 2006, the Senate
agreed to the conference report by unanimous consent.
On November 11, 2005, the
Senate passed S. 1042, its version of the National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2006, by a vote of 98 to 0. On
December 19, 2005, the conference report for H.R. 1815, the substitute
bill, was agreed to in the House by a vote of 374 to 41. On December 21,
2005, the Senate agreed to the conference report by voice vote.
On June 23, 2004, the Senate
passed S. 2400, its version of the National Defense Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 2005, by a vote of 97 to 0. On the same day, the
Senate ordered that the House version of the bill, H.R. 4200, be
replaced by the text of S. 2400, and then passed H.R. 4200 by
Unanimous Consent. The Senate adopted the conference report to H.R.
4200 on October 9, 2004 by unanimous consent.
On May 22, 2003, the Senate
passed its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year
2004, S. 1050, by a 98 to 2 vote. On June 4, 2003, the Senate
then substituted the text of S.1050 into H.R. 1588, the National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004, previously passed by the
House of Representatives, and passed H.R. 1588 by voice vote. The
Senate adopted the conference report to H.R. 1588 on November 12, 2003
by a 95 to 3 vote.
Statement of Administration Policy
On May 16, 2007, the Bush
Administration issued a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP) for the House
version of H.R. 1585, which outlined a number of “significant
concerns” with the House-passed bill. This SAP can be accessed on the
Office of Management and Budget’s website: (http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/legislative/sap/110-1/hr1585sap-h.pdf).
No SAP has been issued yet for the Senate version of the bill.
Possible Amendments
The DPC will circulate
information about possible amendments as it becomes available.
