House Approves Military Bill

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Associated Press | May 04, 2006

WASHINGTON - A House military bill increases by thousands the maximum number of ground troops the military can maintain - and sends a message to the Pentagon about lawmakers' concerns of adequate force levels in wartime.

On a 60-1 vote, the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday approved the bill that includes the provision on troop levels and sets spending levels of $512.9 billion for the military for next year. That includes $50 billion to cover the first portion of next year's costs for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Overall, the House bill "reflects our committee's strong and continuing support for the brave men and women of the United States armed services," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., the committee's chairman.

"We've done good work. This is an excellent bill. It does a real service for those in uniform," said Rep. Ike Skelton of Missouri, lead Democrat on the House committee.

House lawmakers shaped the bill to address concerns arising from the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Actual money for specific programs is provided in separate, later legislation.

It is likely senators will reflect similar priorities when the Senate Armed Services Committee passes its version of the bill by Friday, given a desire across Capitol Hill to be perceived as supporting troops and their families during wartime - particularly in an election year.

Like the House, the Senate has raised concerns about adequate troop levels over the past few years.

In recent weeks, several retired generals have stepped forward to argue that the planning for the war in Iraq - including troop levels - was not sufficient. And, in recent interviews, former Secretary of State Colin Powell said he told Rumsfeld and Bush that he was worried that U.S. did not have enough troops to complete the mission.

The House bill permits the Army to increase the number of active-duty Soldiers by 30,000 - or 6 percent beyond what President Bush requested - to a maximum target of 512,400. It also requires the Army to maintain an active-duty force of at least 504,400, roughly 2,000 more Soldiers than the current level.

Additionally, the bill allows the Marine Corps to add 5,000 troops - or 3 percent more than Bush sought - to reach a force of 180,000 Marines.

The bill also authorizes the Army National Guard to have 350,000 troops, the same number allowed last year, and increases the number of Army National Guard full-time support personnel by nearly 2,300.

In addition, the bill plans increased spending beyond the administration's request for operations, training and maintenance, while lowering the money the Pentagon can spend on some major weapons systems still being developed, such as the Future Combat Systems, the Army's key weapons program.

Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., cast the only vote against the bill.