Army Gets 'Rare' Senate Appropriations Support.

• Author: Book, Elizabeth G.
• Position: Speech by Kraig Siracuse, member of the Senate Appropriations Committee - Brief Article

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric K. Shinseki enjoys unprecedented levels of support from Capitol Hill for his "transformation" initiative to modernize the Army, said Kraig Siracuse, professional staff member of the Senate Appropriations Committee's defense subcommittee.

The committee's chairman, Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, is "very supportive of this chief," Siracuse told the Association of the U.S. Army's winter symposium.

Last fiscal year, he noted, the committee increased the Army's budget for transformation programs by $500 million, without specifying in great detail how the money should be spent. "That's a big pot of money. It's a very rare thing for us in Congress, especially in the appropriations committee, to put pots of money without a lot of requirements," said Siracuse. "It's rare to have such great confidence in the chief."

Addressing questions from the audience about the future of defense spending, Siracuse suggested that the most significant indicator was in President Bush's budget speech in February. The emphasis was on increased spending for education, he said. "Your problem right now is education vs. defense."

Bush also talked about a $5.7 billion boost for military pay and benefits. But he has not explained where that money will come from, said Siracuse. It is not clear whether the funds will result from an increase in the top line or whether they will be drawn from existing Pentagon accounts, such as modernization and procurement.

For that reason, Pentagon brass should start thinking about setting priorities for future...