"This legislation serves as the annual policy and funding blueprint
for the vast national security activities of the Departments of Defense
and Energy. This year's bill reflects the fact that we are in a time
of war, transformation and structural change," said House Armed
Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter (R-CA) when describing H.R.
1815. Hunter's committee approved the $441.6 billion FY 2006 authorization
bill on May 19 by almost a unanimous vote. Rep. Ike Skelton (D-MO) is
the committee's Ranking Member.
The Armed Services Committee's bill recommends policy and parameters
for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year starting on September
1. Funding is provided by the FY 2006 appropriations bill. The committee's
report (109-089) provides extensive language regarding specific science
and technology programs for each of the services as well as defense-wide
(DARPA, etc.), and can be accessed at http://www.thomas.loc.gov
The Subcommittee on Terrorism, Unconventional Threats and Capabilities
has primary jurisdiction over the defense science and technology programs
and is chaired by Jim Saxton (R-NJ); the Ranking Member is Marty Meehan
(D-MA).
A section of the committee report addresses defense science and technology
funding generally, commenting on specific funding levels for each of
the services and defense-wide programs, as well as the committee's deep
concern about the future workforce.
While the Armed Services Committee report explains that the Administration's
request "does not meet the goal of 3 percent established by
the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review," the FY 2006 authorization
level set by the committee is 14.5% or $1.929 billion less than the
current budget. As has been true for other science budgets, perspective
comes into play: This year's 6.1, 6.2 and 6.3 budgets total $13.329
billion. The Administration requested a cut of 21.1% in the total budget
to $10.522 billion. The Armed Services Committee authorized $11.4 billion.
For each service and the defense-wide budgets the authorization level
was more than what the Administration requested, but less than this
year's budget.
The report language entitled "Defense science and technology funding"
follows:
"The [FY 2005] budget request contained $10.5 billion
for the Department of Defense science and technology program, including
all defense-wide and military service funding for basic research,
applied research, and advanced technology development. The request
included $1.7 billion for the Army, $1.8 billion for the Navy, $1.9
billion for the Air Force, and $5.0 billion for Defense-Wide science
and technology (including $3.1 billion for the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA)). The committee recommends $11.4 billion for
the Department of Defense science and technology program, an increase
of $901.6 million to the budget request. The committee's recommendation
includes $2.2 billion for the Army (an increase of $477.3 million),
$2.0 billion for the Navy (an increase of $189.4 million), $2.1 billion
for the Air Force (an increase of $118.5 million), and $5.1 billion
for Defense Agency science and technology, an increase of $116.4 million
(including $3.1 billion for DARPA, an increase of $11.4 million).
[See http://www.aip.org/fyi/2005/018.html
for additional detail on the request and current spending levels]
"The committee regards defense science and technology
investments as critical to maintaining U.S. military technological
superiority in the face of growing and changing threats to U.S. national
security interests around the world. The budget request is $2.2 billion
(or 24 percent) less than the $13.1 billion provided for fiscal year
2005 and is approximately $28.0 million less than the fiscal year
2005 request ($240.0 million less when adjusted for inflation). The
committee notes that the budget request is 2.5 percent of the total
defense budget request (compared to 2.6 percent of the request in
fiscal year 2005) and does not meet the goal of 3 percent established
by the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review.
"The past year has provided numerous examples of successful
technology development and deployment. The men and women of the U.S.
armed forces are better equipped, trained, and protected because of
revolutionary breakthroughs emerging from the technology base. The
committee commends the Department for the response of the defense
science and technology base to the emerging critical operational needs
in support of the global war on terrorism and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Elsewhere in this report the committee has recommended increased funding
to further accelerate the transition of advanced technologies.
"The committee notes that earlier this year the National
Research Council of the National Academies of Science and Engineering
released its congressionally directed report ‘Assessment of Department
of Defense Basic Research.' [See http://www.aip.org/fyi/2005/009.html.]
The report concluded that the Department is managing its basic research
program effectively, but made a number of recommendations regarding
the program. The committee directs the Secretary of Defense to report
to the Congress with the Fiscal Year 2007 budget request the actions
being taken or recommended by the Department to implement the recommendations
contained in the report.
"The committee is deeply concerned about sustaining
and maintaining DOD science and technology infrastructure, about the
projected loss to the defense science and engineering work force over
the next ten years of an estimated 13,000 scientists, mathematicians,
engineers, and technicians, and about the actions necessary to enable
the Department to recruit and maintain a skilled and trained defense
science and engineering work force. In the Ronald W. Reagan National
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2005 (Public Law 108-375),
Congress established a pilot program ‘Science, Mathematics and
Research for Transformation (SMART)' within the Department to provide
targeted education assistance to individual seeking a baccalaureate
or an advanced degree in science and engineering disciplines that
are critical to national security. Elsewhere in this report, the committee
has recommended a provision which will build on the SMART program
and improve DOD's ability to recruit, develop, and retain individuals
critical to fulfilling the Department's national security mission.
[Note that this section explains that the bill would "would
make permanent the Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation
program. . . . ]
"Despite the positive aspects of DOD's science and technology
program, the committee is concerned about long-term projections for
reductions in DOD science and technology as a percentage of total
obligation authority, and in short-term trends in the science and
technology accounts of some of the military departments and defense
agencies. The committee cannot emphasize too strongly the need for
the Department to maintain a strong and robustly funded science and
technology program that will provide the advanced technologies needed
to assure technical dominance of our armed forces on any current or
future battlefield."
Enlarge text
Shrink text
Print
E-mail
Digg this
Del.icio.us
Furl