Unneeded Arms Spending Urged to Save Industry

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday proposed spending some defense dollars on unneeded weaponry to keep parts of the nation’s defense industry alive.

Rep. Les Aspin (D-Wis.) criticized the Bush Administration’s policy of letting the free market decide the fate of scores of defense manufacturers in the post-Cold War era.

Aspin contends that a free market does not exist in the defense industry, where job layoffs are expected nationwide in the wake of the Pentagon’s decision to curb or cancel several major weapons systems.

“If we continue with business as usual, we soon won’t be doing much business at all,” Aspin said in a speech to the American Defense Preparedness Assn.

General Dynamics Corp. recently announced the first of up to 4,000 layoffs at its Electric Boat Division in Groton, Conn., caused by the cancellation of the Seawolf submarine program.

Aspin suggested that prototypes of some new weapons without full-scale production could also be bought to keep some companies in business. He cited the shipbuilding industry as one candidate.

Aspin criticized Defense Secretary Dick Cheney for his opposition to increased funds to upgrade the military’s tanks. Cheney contends that about 8,000 tanks are sufficient for the Army.