ARMS NEEDS FOR SALT WIN WEIGHED

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01315R000400360026-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 8, 2004
• Sequence Number: 26
• Publication Date: August 7, 1979
• Content Type: NSPR

.........SICTICIw p1` r ed For Relea r2 /64 ff ~Ct DP88-013151`0
Old PAGE August D
'Arms needs
t o ~ALT
a,~ e
`f .. 1 o e
By CBARL& W. CORDDRY
Wa:ahington Bureau of The Sun
Washington-The Carter administra-
tion, reacting to strong Senate pressures,
set up a special committee yesterday to
examine, what increases in defense spend-
ing may be necessary to insure approval
of the SALT fI treaty.
Somewhat to the surprise of the execu-
tive branch, demands for bolstered de-
fense have gained steam steadily since the
SALT hearings began a month ago and the
strategic arms limitation treaty itself
often has been a secondary issue.
In predicting treaty approval by the
Senate, Democratic leaders freely ac-
knowledge that there must be an accom-
panying compromise on expanded spend-
ing for nuclear and conventional forces.
The new administration committee
found immediately, however, that the sig-
nals from Capitol Hill are anything but
clear. While the SALT hearings have
produced worry about the levels of de-
fense spending, other committees have
been engaging in their traditional annual
cutting of military appropriations re-
quests.
No announcement was made about the
strategy-mapping committee, but admin-
istration officials said it is made up of
high-level staff officers from the State De-
partment, Defense Department, National
Security Council and Office of Manage-
ment and Budget.
The OMB, busily trying to sort out
budget. figures for the current fiscal year,
1979, as well as 1980 and 1981, was the
prime mover in forming the committee.
The panel must sift through the of ten-
conflicting demands from the Capital to
see what major concerns emerge. Then it
must make recommendations to Cabinet
officers and President Carter on whether
the administration should seek larger de-
fense increases than the "real" 3 per cent
a year on top of inflation that it has prom-
ised.
While Senator Sam Nunn (D., Ga.) and
senators of like mind have contended the
increase should be 4 per cent or 5 per cent
-a difference with the administration of
several billion dollars-even the more
modest goal of 3 per cent is now out of
reach because of inflation and congres-
sional cuts.
This combination of forces, according
to Pentagon reckoning, has reduced the
prospective "real" increase in defense
spending for fiscal 1980, starting October
1, to 0.5 per cent.
This is only a tentative estimate, be-
cause neither future inflation nor final
congressional actions on ,the pending
budget can be forecast with certainty.
. Calculations are, however,. that It
would take about $2.5 billion more than an
originally projected $122.7 billion in fiscal
1980 to reach the planned 3 per cent real
increase over this year. But congressional
committees have taken action on appro-
priations measures that would reduce the
original spending goal, not increase it.
One administration official remarked
ironically yesterday that, while Mr. Nunn
was demanding more in the Senate, the -
House Appropriations Committee was cut-
ting $3.5 billion from administration re-
quests and then adding back $1.3 billion
for programs it preferred.
The $1.3 billion was made up of air-
craft programs totaling $800 million and
an allocation of $500 million to turn an
aircraft carrier Mr. Carter sought this
year into a nuclear-powered ship.
The President vetoed a defense bill last
year to get rid of a nuclear carrier, saying
the money was needed more for other de-
fense programs. The House Armed Ser-
vices and Appropriations committees
have disagreed with him again this year.
The carrier is not a strategic weapon,
of the kind covered by SALT and of the
kind worrying many senators. But it is
sure to be one of the big-ticket items con-
sidered by the new inter-agency defense
review committee in trying to decide deli-
cately how to handle congressional de-
fense demands.
Approved For Release 2005/01/12 : CIA-RDP88-01315ROO0400360026-4