Panel Would Prohibit Tests for ‘Star Wars’

The House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday approved a $305.7-billion defense budget for fiscal 1988 that specifically prohibits development, testing or deployment of President Reagan’s “Star Wars” space-based missile defense system.

The overall budget, which appears certain to be slashed later on the House floor, was approved by a committee vote of 45 to 6. It exceeds by $16 billion the allocation for defense spending in the budget resolution that is expected to be approved by the House today.

Although the budget provides $3.5 billion for Star Wars research, the committee voted 25 to 24 for a provision in the budget that would force the President to abide by the so-called “narrow” interpretation of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty that bans development, testing in space or deployment of the system, known as the Strategic Defense Initiative.

Counters Broad Interpretation

It comes at a time when the President is threatening to move to a broader interpretation of the treaty that would permit early testing and development of SDI. Reagan and his supporters in Congress contend that the broader interpretation is supported by the historical negotiating record of the ABM treaty.

“If the Administration had not raised the issue of reinterpretation, we would not be putting (restrictive) language in our bill,” said Chairman Les Aspin (D-Wis.), who authored the bill’s provision on ABM.

Although it was a narrow victory for opponents of SDI, the committee vote is significant because the House Armed Services Committee is thought to be considerably less liberal than the full House membership--an indication that the full House is likely to support a similar ban on SDI testing, development and deployment.

SDI supporters also lost a close test when the committee voted, 27 to 22, against an amendment offered by Rep. Jim Courter (R-N.J.) that would have instructed the Pentagon to develop an early version of SDI by the middle of the next decade.

Proponents’ Sole Victory

The lone victory for SDI proponents came on a 28-23 vote to eliminate language in the bill prohibiting development of a so-called “kinetic kill vehicle,” a weapon seen by conservatives as the basis for an early-stage deployment of Star Wars. The kinetic kill vehicle would use rockets to knock down incoming missiles, not futuristic systems such as lasers or beam weapons.

Despite their setbacks, Reagan’s supporters generally were pleased with the defense budget as it emerged from committee. “Overall, this is not a bad bill,” said Courter.

Courter is one of many conservatives who has been pressing the President to proceed with early deployment of a rudimentary SDI system, figuring that Reagan’s successor will be less likely to dismantle the entire program if some type of missile-defense weapon is already in place. Reagan has not ruled out the idea, but no decision has been made by the Administration to proceed with any type of early SDI deployment.

Still Exceeds Authorization

Although the committee cut $1.8 billion from the President’s original request for Star Wars funding, the $3.5-billion expenditure approved by the committee still is about $300 million more than Congress authorized for the current fiscal year.

The Armed Services Committee bill is silent on the subject of the unratified 1979 Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty. Late last year, Reagan violated the treaty’s limits on missiles against the expressed will of Congress. Liberals are expected to propose an amendment on the House floor that would force Reagan to abide by the SALT treaty.

Arms control advocates lost a small skirmish when the committee agreed by voice vote to restore $250 million that had been deleted by a subcommittee for development of an anti-satellite system. The committee bill does not mention the existing ban on ASAT testing, which the full House is expected to extend beyond next Oct. 1.

MX Missiles Approved

The committee also agreed by a vote of 29 to 21 to authorize production of 21 additional MX nuclear-tipped missiles in fiscal 1988, despite a report that the missile’s guidance system has problems. There will be no change, however, in the existing congressional edict prohibiting deployment of more than 50 MX missiles.

Although the House voted last year in favor of a comprehensive test ban, the House Armed Services Committee bill contains some funding for nuclear testing, as well as language offered by Rep. Beverly B. Byron (D-Md.) that expresses support for testing.