WASHINGTON (AP) — President Clinton wants to cut about $400 million from weapons purchases and military research to help pay for the Bosnia peacekeeping mission and an anti—drug effort. The request, detailed in documents obtained Monday by The Associated Press, indicates the White House is expecting the Bosnia operation to cost at least $50 million more than previously estimated.Of the $400.4 million in proposed savings, $250 million would go toward the administration's anti-drug effort and $150.4 million for the Bosnia mission. Although the Bosnia request represents only a fraction of the roughly $2.5 billion the Pentagon now expects to spend on the yearlong peacekeeping mission, it may be the most hotly contested amount.
Up to now, Clinton has proposed paying for the Bosnia operation through savings due to lower inflation estimates and by taking unspent funds from the National Reconnaissance Office, a secret spy satellite agency. The latest installment would come from cuts in weapons programs and military research and development that were added by the Republican-controlled Congress.
"The Department of Defense's position is that virtually none of these items were requested and are congressional add-ons," a White House official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "Our hope is that they'll see the wisdom and follow our guidance."
Clinton notified Congress of the proposed shift in spending in a letter to House Speaker Newt Gingrich last week. Assuming Congress passes a pending budget bill that contains some Bosnia money, this latest request would bring the total spent on Bosnia this year to just under $2 billion. The administration is seeking an additional $542 million for Bosnia in its budget request for next year.
The 21-page list that follows Clinton's letter details cuts in purchases of Army Kiowa Warrior scout helicopters; Army, Navy and Marine Corps ammunition accounts; production and modification of Army trucks and non-tracked combat vehicles; construction and conversion money for Navy fast patrol craft, equipment for the National Guard and Reserves; and research and development programs into such areas as anti-radiation missiles, tactical submarine technology, anti-satellite warfare and infrared technology.
Offering justification for the proposed cuts, the White House said some programs duplicated related Pentagon spending while others could be cut without affecting the military's ability to carry out its basic mission.
Republicans have criticized Clinton on the rising cost of the Bosnia operation while accusing him of shortchanging the Pentagon on such basic needs as ammunition and trucks. The cuts in weapons and research spending would take place over the next five years, according to the budget documents, while the money would be spent in Bosnia through the end of this fiscal year, Sept. 30.
In cutting $140 million from the Kiowa helicopter program, the White House said, "Additional Kiowa Warrior aircraft are not required to meet early deployment requirements." The ammunition cuts are justified on the argument that current stocks are sufficient to meet military needs.
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