Senate Panel OKs Round of Base Closings

The Senate Armed Services Committee voted Thursday for the first round of base closings since 1995 as it worked to complete a measure funding the nation’s defense needs for 2002.

Meeting in closed session, the committee voted, 17 to 8, for the new round, said Sen. John W. Warner (R-Va.), who has expressed wariness about more base closings. He did not disclose who voted for or against it.

Shutting down military bases is extremely unpopular politically because of potential economic disruptions in targeted communities. The House Armed Services Committee, in completing its version of the bill last month, deliberately left out mention of closing bases as a ploy to derail a new round of closures.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has warned Congress that more base closures were needed, saying the military has about 25% more base capacity than it needs.

Sen. Carl Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Senate panel, said he also was seeking a $1.3-billion cut in President Bush’s $8.3-billion request for missile defense for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1.

The committee’s strategic subcommittee sent the full committee a Democrat-written measure authorizing $7 billion for missile defense, said Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.). He and other senators said that could be changed by the full committee before it completes the measure today.

At a Pentagon news conference Thursday, Rumsfeld said cutting missile defense spending would undermine and delay important research and testing.

The $8.3 billion sought for missile defense is $3 billion more than this year. It is by far the largest increase in the Bush administration’s defense program.

“If you take $1.3 billion out of some portion of it, it’s big,” Rumsfeld said. “As a percentage, it’s enormous. It’s very harmful.”

Levin said late Thursday, as his committee broke for the night, “We’re giving him the largest increase of probably any program in the defense budget.”