FY 2013 Senate Defense Appropriations Bill: Science and Technology Programs
Before leaving for its summer recess, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY 2013 Department of Defense Appropriations Bill. Passed by a vote of 30-0, this was the eleventh of twelve FY 2013 appropriations bills (leaving only the Interior-Environment bill outstanding) to be approved by Senate appropriators.
Senate Report 112-196 accompanies H.R. 5856. Specific language and individual program funding levels for Title V, Research, Development, Test and Evaluation can be found starting on page 165 of the PDF version of this report. Note that the FY 2012 funding and FY 2013 administration request figures are taken from a document prepared by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller); the FY 2012 figures were used in determining recommended increases or decreases in the House and Senate bills.
Total 6.1 Basic Research:
FY 2012 funding is $2,112.4 million The FY 2013 request is $2,116.9 million, an increase of $4.5 million or 0.2 percent The House bill provides $2,116.9 million, an increase of $4.5 million or 0.2 percent The Senate bill provides $2,126.9 million, an increase of $14.5 million or 0.7 percent
Total 6.2 Applied Research:
FY 2012 funding is $4,739.3 million The FY 2013 request is $4,478.0 million, a decrease of $261.3 million or 5.5 percent The House bill provides $4,563.2 million, a decrease of $176.1 million or 3.7 percent The Senate bill provides $4,598.9 million, a decrease of $140.4 million or 3.0 percent
Total 6.3 Advanced Technology Development:
FY 2012 funding is $5,411.3 million The FY 2013 request is $5,266.3 million, a decrease of $145.0 million or 2.7 percent The House bill provides $5,529.8 million, an increase of $118.5 million or 2.2 percent The Senate bill provides $5,448.9 million, an increase of $37.6 million or 0.7 percent
Total Army 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3:
FY 2012 funding is $2,535.8 million The FY 2013 request is $2,209.5 million, a decrease of $326.3 million or 12.9 percent The House bill provides $2,295.9 million, a decrease of $239.9 million or 9.5 percent The Senate bill provides $2,427.9 million, a decrease of $107.9 million or 4.3 percent
Total Navy 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3:
FY 2012 funding is $2,120.4 million The FY 2013 request is $1,979.7 million, a decrease of $140.7 million or 6.6 percent The House bill provides $2,063.4 million, a decrease of $57.0 million or 2.7 percent The Senate bill provides $2,116.7 million, a decrease of $3.7 million or 0.2 percent
Total Air Force 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3:
FY 2012 funding is $2,435.7 million The FY 2013 request is $2,221.8 million, a decrease of $213.9 million or 8.8 percent The House bill provides $2,241.8 million, a decrease of $193.9 million or 8.0 percent The Senate bill provides $2,234.9 million, a decrease of $200.8 million or 8.2 percent
Total Defense-Wide (i.e., DARPA) 6.1, 6.2, and 6.3:
FY 2012 funding is $5,171.2 million The FY 2013 request is $5,450.0 million, an increase of $278.8 million or 5.4 percent The House bill provides $5,608.8 million, an increase of $437.6 million or 8.5 percent The Senate bill provides $5,395.2 million, an increase of $224.0 million or 4.3 percent
In addition to language on specific RDT&E programs, page 9 of the PDF version of the report contained the following under the heading “Committee Initiatives”:
“The Committee has included funding above the President’s budget request for several programmatic initiatives which the Committee believes are of inherent value for national defense. In several cases, funds are restored for programs which were included in previous Department of Defense budget requests, and several are for programs that the Committee believes are necessary to improve defense even though they have not been included under the request formulated by the Department of Defense.
“For instance, the Committee provides additional research funding in the following areas: alternative energy, space situational awareness, unexploded ordnance and landmine detection, nanotechnology, advanced metals and materials, military burn treatment, and traumatic brain injury and psychological health.
“The Committee believes additional research funding is warranted in these and other areas to ensure that the Department of Defense continues to pursue technological advances that are critical to our national defense. The Committee has also provided funding for programs that are chronically underfunded, such as test and training range upgrades and range conservation. The Committee directs that funding for these initiatives are to be competitively awarded or provided to programs that have received competitive awards in the past.”
