$339.7 million requested for military projects here
By Frank Oliveri
Advertiser Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON — Investments in the Stryker Brigade and upgrades to facilities for C-17 transport planes represent most of the $339.7 million that President Bush has requested in military construction projects for Hawai'i.
Some of the money — $210.8 million — would pay for new facilities and upgrades at Schofield Barracks.
"I'm pleased to see this funding on the budget because it goes to ensure our military readiness and serves to underscore Hawai'i's strategic importance," said Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawai'i, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Bush's overall defense request was $401.7 billion, including $9.5 billion in military construction. Money for construction is expected to increase and then decrease slightly — $13.4 billion in 2006, $16.6 billion in 2007, $14.4 billion in 2008 and $13.7 billion in 2009.
A Stryker Brigade is a rapid-reaction force of armored vehicles and 3,600 soldiers that could be deployed anywhere in the world within 96 hours. The unit is supported by the Air Force's C-17 transport. Eight C-17s will be moved to Hickam Air Force Base in 2005.
Rep. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawai'i, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said he, Akaka, and Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawai'i, have long highlighted the need to improve Hawai'i's military facilities. With growing challenges to the United States in Asia, Hawai'i's location is becoming increasingly important, he said.
"We have worked very hard in our respective capacities to make sure we were prepared for what was coming," Abercrombie said.
But he warned that merely sending the money through Hawai'i to companies outside the state would damage morale among residents.
"I don't think the Pentagon wants to get crossways with us," Abercrombie said. Hawai'i's strategic position may be its greatest protection against inclusion on the list of base closures that the Base Realignment and Closure Commission will send the president in September 2005.
The president is expected to approve the list by Sept. 23, 2005. Congress then would have 45 legislative days to reject the findings.
The budget proposal released Monday represents only a slight increase over the military construction spending that Congress ultimately approved last year. Still, Bush's proposal calls for "a very healthy" military construction program, according to Dr. Dov Zakheim, Defense Department comptroller.
He warned, though, that construction projects added by lawmakers don't necessarily make those bases more valuable in the eyes of the commission considering closures.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld indicated that the military has 20 percent more facilities than it needs. But Zakheim said a case could be made for any individual base.
