Congress: Why should each military branch get same budget?

The defense budget has been sliced into virtually the same-sized pieces for decades, with roughly equal shares of resources going to the Army, Air Force, and Navy. In a move analysts say is sure to strike fear among some services, Congress this week will begin asking why.

A bipartisan House panel is nudging the Pentagon to begin a conversation on how to reform itself in many ways. But at the Pentagon, talk of change usually has a budgetary impact.

And, despite the past several years of “nation-building” and counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, there has been virtually no change in the way the defense budget is carved up in at least 40 years, says Rep. Jim Cooper (D) of Tennessee, who chairs the panel.

“That right there is a statistical indictment of the process,” Representative Cooper says. “There had to be a year in which there were greater needs in one area or another, and the system was unable to accommodate it.”

The fiscal 2009 budget request released this month, for example, shows the Army requesting a 27 percent share, the Air Force asking for a 28 percent share, and the Navy, which includes the Marine Corps, wanting a 29 percent share of the proposed $515 billion budget.

Cooper’s seven-member panel is expected to release a study this week on each of the branches’ “roles and missions” that may threaten services that are seen to perform more conventional warfare. With the focus on the ground wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, that makes some in the Navy and Air Force worry.

India test-fires sea-based nuclear-capable missile: ministry

India conducted its first test of a nuclear-capable missile from an undersea platform on Tuesday, completing its goal of having air, land and sea ballistic systems, the defence ministry said.

The launch from a submerged pontoon took place off India’s southeast coast near the port city of Visakhapatnam around 1:00 pm (0730 GMT), a defence ministry spokesman said.

“The test was successful,” ministry spokesman Sitanshu Kar said.

India announced earlier this month that it would conduct its first test of a submarine-based ballistic missile named the K-15, which has a top range of 700 kilometres (438 miles).

S. Prahlada, chief controller of India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), has said the K-15 missile would be “integrated” with a nuclear-powered submarine that India is building.

India’s nuclear submarine is expected to be be ready for sea trials by 2009, the Indian navy has said.

US, China navies discuss joint drills

The Chinese and U.S. navies may hold joint drills within the year as part of efforts to build stronger ties despite recent tensions and lingering mistrust.

The exercises were discussed this week during a visit by Maj. Gen. Thomas Conant, the U.S. Pacific Command’s director for strategic planning and policy, China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday, citing unidentified Defense Ministry officials.

“The two sides exchanged views frankly and in depth on relevant issues concerning China-U.S. maritime military safety, and discussed holding a joint maritime exercise between the two navies within the year,” Xinhua said. No other details were given, although in the past the two navies have held joint search-and-rescue exercises and joined in anti-terrorism drills hosted by Pakistan.

Kitty Hawk torpedoes Russia-India friendship: Izvestia warns

The likely US offer of the Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier and its acceptance by India, will torpedo the friendship between India and Russia, reports today said.

During his current visit to New Delhi, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates would formally offer the Kitty Hawk and stressed if India accepted the offer, it would bury the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier deal and also MiG-29 fighter contracts, daily Izvestia reported.

”The only condition that goes together with this ‘present’ is that the Indian Government should buy 65 newest F/A 18E/F carrier-based fighters. The other condition is not voiced but implicit: Delhi should turn down the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Gorshkov,” the paper said.

The paper pointed out that India was implementing a large-scale programme for re-equipping its armed forces and was ready to invest 30 billion dollars in it.

The USA, France and Israel were already fighting for this ”pie” it said, adding companies such as Boeing, Dassault, Eurofighter, Lockheed Martin were taking part in the tender for the delivery of 126 multirole combat fighters.

Japan defence minister under new pressure

Japan’s government came under fresh pressure Wednesday as the opposition alleged an attempted cover-up into circumstances of an accident in which a naval vessel rammed a fishing boat.

The Atago, Japan’s newest and largest destroyer equipped with the Aegis radar system, crashed into the tuna boat last week, leaving two fishermen — father and son — missing in the high seas off the Pacific coast near Tokyo.

Defence Minister Shigeru Ishiba admitted poor judgment in interviewing the Atago’s duty officer soon after the accident, before a formal probe could be launched.

The officer flew from the ship to the defence ministry for an hour of questioning by officials including Ishiba himself. Media reports said the defence ministry told the coast guard that the helicopter was transporting an injured person.

“It’s only an afterthought now, but I don’t necessarily think it was appropriate that we questioned a crew member without approval from the coast guard, even if it was an internal query,” Ishiba told a legislative committee.

Russia to deliver Gorshkov by 2011

Russia will deliver aircraft carrier Gorshkov by mid-2011 with the two sides resolving the deadlock after India agreed to pay “considerably more” for the warship than the original contract for 970 million US dollars.

Though no figures with regard to the increase in price were revealed by Defence Secretary V K Singh, just back after inspecting the warship, sources say that the amount could vary between 700 and 900 million US dollars.

Singh said that the figure could not be disclosed as the modified contract had to be put up to the Union Cabinet and the Cabinet Committee on Security for clearance.

To push up the pace of work on the carrier, India has agreed to despatch more than 100 trained personnel from its shipyard to Sevmash Shipyard in the Arctic to join 1200 Russian personnel working on the ship.

“The warship requires installation of new turbines, boilers, 2500 km of cabling and strengthening of its flight deck for operations by MiG 29 fighters as part of the new retrofitting to be undertaken on the carrier,” Singh said.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 27th, 2008 and is filed under Armed Forces, China, India, Japan, Maritime Strategy News, Navy, Russia. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.