Panel adds $308 million to spec ops budget

By Rick Maze - Staff writer

Posted : Thursday Jun 11, 2009 12:03:13 EDT

A House subcommittee approved an $8.65 billion special operations budget on Thursday that includes $308.4 million to fully cover a wish list of items left out of the Obama administration’s defense budget request.

The House Armed Services Committee’s terrorism, unconventional threats and capabilities panel also ordered an assessment of the Defense Department’s so-called “strategic communications” effort that represents the U.S. side in the war of ideologies; made cyber security an even higher priority, including establishing a joint-service office to develop cyberwar capabilities; and added $5 million to the 2010 defense budget for a student outreach program designed to get technically trained people to work in civilian and military jobs involving offensive and defensive cyber missions.

The subcommittee’s action will become part of the 2010 defense authorization bill that the full armed services committee will take up next week.

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., the subcommittee chairman, said the fight against violent extremists and defenses against catastrophic threats that are covered by the panel’s portion of the defense budget are bipartisan issues, something underscored by the fact that no amendments were offered during the meeting and the budget passed by voice vote, with no debate.

The U.S. Special Operations Command provided Congress with a list of 11 items not included in the 2010 budget, with the top priority also being the most expensive — modifying four more MC-130W aircraft, for a total of 12 of the “Combat Spear” versions of the workhorse C-130 that function as precision strike platforms watching over special operations missions.

The command also asked for 2,339 new radios, the modification of 172 Humvees for special operations missions, the purchase of a new unmanned aerial vehicle that is small enough to transport and operate from an inflatable boat and can fly for two hours, and some classified items.