Weinberger Lists Effects of Arms Cuts

Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger told the Senate Budget Committee today that constraining Pentagon budget increases to the inflation rate could “decimate” major weapons programs, mean scrapping two Trident submarines and slowing by years production of the B-1 and “stealth” bombers.

“When you get cuts of these kinds, they are not illusory, they are very real,” Weinberger told the committee. “There is no way you can make these cuts without giving up things I think are necessary.”

Sen. Pete V. Domenici (R-N.M.), the committee chairman, insisted that defense must be part of any realistic program to trim the federal budget deficit.

“You gave me a long shopping list of important programs that would have to be terminated,” Domenici told Weinberger. “Let me be honest and tell you that I have a great deal of difficulty in believing that would be the result.”

It was the first time Weinberger had spelled out in public the impact he believes would be caused by an inflation-adjusted freeze on military spending this year.

Reagan Budget Plan

In his budget for fiscal 1986, which begins next October, President Reagan is seeking $277.5 billion in actual outlays for the Pentagon, an increase of 5.9% over the 1985 budget after inflation is taken into account.

Weinberger said a freeze on spending that gives the Pentagon no more purchasing power than it had in the fiscal 1985 budget would hurt the Pentagon but not give the kind of deficit-cutting impact that Congress is seeking.

“It would decimate the ability of the department to continue with the programs that are now in effect,” Weinberger said, giving this potential damage assessment:

- A three- to four-year setback in the production schedule for the B-1 bomber and the advanced, high-technology stealth bomber.

- A 38% reduction in tactical aircraft purchases.

- A 50% reduction in buying Army and Air Force helicopters.

- The termination of the heavy-lift helicopter program.

- The termination of the C-17 transport airlift program.

- Setting back by three years plans to replace the engines on the C-5 transport plane.

- A two-year delay in deployment of the D-5 Trident missile.

- Two fewer Trident submarines.

“I could go on for four pages,” Weinberger told the committee.

“This list is what you get if you try to safeguard readiness and strategic programs,” he said. “And you do cripple the ability of the department to move ahead.”

But Domenici said: “We are faced with a problem as serious to the rest of this decade as our decaying military posture was in the decade of the ‘70s. I believe economic stability is at stake.”