Jeff Bingaman: “let me just add a couple of items that I overlooked, since we have just another couple of minutes here before the vote…”

“let me just add a couple of items that I overlooked, since we have just another couple of minutes here before the vote occurs. As I indicated in describing the amendment, we are suggesting that the $118 million which we are trying to delete from the bill for the space-based laser program be, instead, transferred over for Air Force and Navy flying hours. The reason I have offered that suggestion is a letter from the Secretary of Defense to Senator Levin, and I am sure Senator Thurmond also received a copy of it. The letter is dated the 23d of May. Former Senator Cohen, now Secretary Cohen, stated in this letter: In addition to adjustments reflective of the Quadrennial Defense Review, I recommend a fact-of-life adjustment concerning flying hour costs. The Navy and the Air Force are both experiencing greater costs per flying hour than anticipated in their budgets. We are currently analyzing the causes of this increase, but the preliminary indications are that the increase is caused by greater spare parts requirements per flying hour than were experienced in the past. We estimate the impact of these increases to be $350 million for the Navy and $200 million for the Air Force. So he has requested that we add the total of $550 million to the combined flying hours for the Air Force and the Navy. This amendment adds $59 million to the Air Force and $59 million to the Navy.”