House approves money for Hawai'i brigade
| • | Four-day goal for Strykers unrealistic, study finds |
By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — The House yesterday approved a defense spending bill for next year that includes $35 million for Stryker brigades in Hawai'i and Pennsylvania.
The Department of Defense is evaluating whether to move forward with six Stryker brigades or limit the number or change the configuration of the brigades. The first two brigades are planned for Fort Lewis, Wash., with future brigades at Fort Richardson, Alaska; Fort Polk, La.; Schofield Barracks; and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
The money approved yesterday by the House would go toward advance procurement for the Hawai'i and Pennsylvania brigades. The bill also urges the Defense Department and the Army to ensure that future budget requests provide for no fewer than six brigades by 2008.
Congress previously ordered the Defense Department to certify the first brigade's combat readiness before deploying the first three brigades or spending money on future brigades. The first brigade completed certification exercises in May and the Defense Department is expected to report to Congress later this year.
Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i, and others in the Hawai'i congressional delegation have pursued money for a brigade for the Islands and have pointed to money in defense spending and military construction bills as signs of progress.
Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, said the bill also would provide $16.2 million for Hawai'i technology projects. The money includes $2.2 million to research the effects of sound on marine mammals and $4 million to develop interactive software for undersea warfare.
