WASHINGTON -- A key U.S. House subcommittee has added $9 million for Air Force and Army efforts to develop a conventional capability that would allow the military to strike faraway targets with just one hour's notice. If ultimately enacted, the provision would fund the development of "prompt global strike" weapon systems at more than $126 million in fiscal 2009 (see GSN, Sept. 3).
The House Appropriations Committee's defense panel completed its markup of the military funding bill in late July, but has since released only a three-page summary detailing selected initiatives, pending action by the full committee.
That committee action was expected to begin today but was postponed at the 11th hour. A spokeswoman for the panel had not responded by press time to questions about reasons for the delay or a new date for the markup.
However, Global Security Newswire has learned that the subcommittee proposes adding $6 million to Air Force coffers for a "Conventional Strike Mission Integration Demonstration." The Bush administration had requested $65.6 million for the effort, under which the service would likely test components of its "Conventional Strike Missile" concept for prompt global strike.
The increase comes as Gen. Kevin Chilton has signaled a decision to shift emphasis in the prompt global strike mission from the Navy to the Air Force. Chilton, who heads U.S. Strategic Command, said in a letter last month that he wants the Air Force to build and deploy an initial Conventional Strike Missile by 2012.
The boost-glide missile would launch on rocket boosters and careen toward its targets at speeds of Mach 5 or faster. Defense leaders have said the conventional capability would be useful for attacking fleeting targets, such as a rogue nation's weapon of mass destruction being readied for launch.
The prompt global strike mission would, for the first time, allow the U.S. military to quickly hit targets halfway around the world, without having to use nuclear weapons (see GSN, May 28).
Lawmakers have largely embraced the concept. However, they rejected the first prompt global strike weapon system the Defense Department had proposed to build -- a modification of the Navy's Trident D-5 missile -- because its launch from submarines might too closely mimic a nuclear attack and elicit an atomic response from Russia or China (see GSN, Dec. 13, 2007).
The House subcommittee also proposed an unrequested $3 million for the Army's Advanced Hypersonic Weapon, a notional prompt-strike system that experts say must surmount a number of technological challenges before deployment, according to Capitol Hill sources (see GSN, Jan. 7).
The Defense Department has never requested funds for the Army program, but it has survived for several years on congressional earmarks. The Advanced Hypersonic Weapon is also envisioned as an unmanned vehicle capable of boosting into space, separating and gliding to its target.
The additional service-specific funding for the Army and Air Force comes on top of a subcommittee decision to fully back the administration request for $117.6 million in a defense-wide account for prompt global strike, congressional sources said. Initiated in the fiscal 2008 spending bills, the multiservice account underwrites a host of technologies useful for the new mission.
The draft House appropriations markup also denies all requested Navy funding for the Reliable Replacement Warhead, according to congressional officials. The new nuclear weapon -- aimed at boosting safety, security, reliability and maintainability compared to the current arsenal -- was to initially replace warheads on the Navy's Trident missiles.
The administration had requested $23.3 million for the new warhead effort in the Navy's fiscal 2009 budget, but later said the funds would not be used for the RRW program. The change reflected lawmakers' action to eliminate fiscal 2008 funds for the new warhead in the Energy Department budget, officials said.
Fiscal 2009 begins Oct. 1.