FISCAL YEAR 1976 AND JULY-SEPTEMBER 1976 TRANSITION PERIOD AUTHORIZATION FOR MILITARY PROCUREMENT, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, AND ACTIVE DUTY, SELECTED RESERVE, AND CIVILIAN PERSONNEL STRENGTHS

HEARINGS

BEFORE THE

COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES
UNITED STATES SENATE

NINETY-FOURTH CONGRESS

FIRST SESSION

ON

S. 920

TO AUTHORIZE APPROPRIATIONS DURING THE FISCAL
YEAR 1976, AND THE PERIOD OF JULY 1, 1976 THROUGH
SEPTEMBER 30, 1976, FOR PROCUREMENT OF AIRCRAFT,
MISSILES, NAVAL VESSELS, TRACKED COMBAT VEHICLES,
TORPEDOES, AND OTHER WEAPONS, AND RESEARCH, DE-
VELOPMENT, TEST, AND EVALUATION FOR THE ARMED
FORCES, AND TO PRESCRIBE THE AUTHORIZED PERSON-
NEL STRENGTH FOR EACH ACTIVE DUTY COMPONENT
AND THE SELECTED RESERVE OF EACH RESERVE COM-
PONENT OF THE ARMED FORCES AND OF CIVILIAN PER-
SONNEL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, AND TO
AUTHORIZE MILITARY TRAINING STUDENT LOADS, AND
TO AUTHORIZE MILITARY ASSISTANCE FOR SOUTH VIET-
NAM FOR FISCAL YEAR 1976, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

51-035

Printed for the use of the Committee on Armed Services

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

FRIDAY, MARCH 7, 1975

U.S. SENATE,

RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE

COMMITTEE ON ARMED SERVICES,

Washington, D.C.

The subcommittee met, pursuant to recess, at 10:15 a.m., in room 224, Richard B. Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Thomas J. McIntyre (chairman).

Present: Senator McIntyre (presiding).

Also present: Hyman Fine, Robert Q. Old, professional staff members; Larry Smith, Senator McIntyre's staff; and Charles Stevenson, Senator Culver's staff.

Senator MCINTYRE. The subcommittee will come to order.

This morning it is our pleasure to welcome Dr. Malcolm R. Currie, Director of Defense Research and Engineering, who will testify in support of the requests for fiscal year 1976 and the 3 months transitional period-197T-for the Department of Defense Research, Development, Test and Evaluation appropriations.

The request for fiscal year 1976 totals $10,239,088,000 which consists of $10,181,388,000 in new obligational authority, $57,700,000 to be provided from the proceeds of foreign military sales and other assets, and $2,488,000 for the Navy special foreign currency program. In addition, $2,682,937,000 is requested for 197T and includes $37,000 for the Navy special foreign currency program.

The request for fiscal year 1976 is $1.7 billion greater than the $8,579.240,000 authorized and appropriated in fiscal year 1975.

When the Assistant Secretaries for Research and Development of the Army and Air Force appeared before us I made some opening comments which I believe to be appropriate now.

Let me begin by saying that this is a year of firsts. It is the first year that the Defense Department budget has broken the $100 billion mark. It also is the first year of a $10 billion R.D.T. & E. budget. By themselves, these milestones would not be too alarming. But, coupled with anticipated Federal budget deficits in excess of $50 billion, unemployment rates approaching 8 or 9 percent, and sky-high inflation, they are stretching the vast capabilities of the United States to the breaking point.

We no longer can afford business as usual. We no longer can support major weapon system developments because they are so near completion that even if we do not plan to go into production, we should invest the remaining tens of millions to complete them and put them on the shelf.

Dr. Currie, how do my remarks square with your own views?

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