US House approves annual military spending blueprint

Italy hit with 10 percent defense cuts
Rome (UPI) May 28, 2010 - With Europe facing a debt crisis, Italy's government looks set to slash 10 percent off its defense budget. The prescribed cut is due to hit the Defense Ministry in 2011 and could imperil the top-up funds Italy's armed forces receive from the Industry Ministry and other sources. The measures come as NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussem has warned against drastic defense cuts, saying they could threaten international stability and limit growth prospects. "All governments should be aware of the long-term impact of too deep cuts in defense budgets because we know from experience that economic growth is very much dependent on a secure international environment," Rasmussen told The Times of London.

"We know that instability and insecurity hamper economic growth. So if we make too deep cuts in defense budgets it might have a long-term negative impact on economic growth." Italy isn't the only nation member drawing battle plans to attack its defense budget. Greece and Portugal -- the weakest financial links in the single European currency-- have announced draconian cuts. Those measures precipitated Britain, France, Denmark and Italy to consider similar action in a bid to curb public spending. In Italy, the austerity measures -- intended to save $29.4 billion -- are expected to have a sweeping impact on the salaries of defense officials. The reason? To escape an all out assault by speculators and hedge funds that drove Greece to the brink of bankruptcy, seeking a a multibillion-dollar bailout package from the European Union.

Italy's 10 percent cut caps defense budget reductions initiated last year. The country's defense spending stands at around $16 billion, down 0.4 percent from 2009. Rome's austerity drive has inflamed opposition. "This would be a dangerous cut to make," said lawmaker Mauro Del Vecchio. "Maintenance and operations would be the most delicate area, with the reduction in flight and navigation hours, which affects operational capabilities." Other lawmakers accused the government of doing too little to redistribute its military sources before taking to budget cuts. "The commission set up to look at defense reorganization in the wake of the first cuts produced a document that merely said nationalization was needed but did not say how," said opposition Sen. Roberta Pinotti. "Those cuts were dramatic; this new cut will be devastating." The cuts were also announced as Italy geared to send troops to Afghanistan, limiting its presence in other field operations, including the Balkans.

by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) May 28, 2010
The US House of Representatives on Friday gave its final approval to a vast annual defense spending blueprint that includes a historic plan for letting gays serve openly in the military.

Lawmakers voted 229-186 to pass the legislation, a sweeping measure that lays out how to spend about 760 billion dollars that must be allocated in a separate appropriations bill.

The blueprint lays out a roadmap for the Pentagon to end restrictions that force gays to keep quiet about their sexual orientation or face dismissal, contingent on a review due December 1 of its likely impact on current troops.

It would also require a formal certification from top commanders that lifting the ban, widely known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," will not harm the military's ability to fight, amid wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The move set the stage for a fight in the Senate, where a key committee endorsed the repeal plan late Thursday even as opponents have vowed fierce resistance to lifting the restriction, codified in 1993.

The broader bill also includes a measure aimed at helping US aerospace giant Boeing secure a US Air Force aerial refueling tanker bid over its European rival Airbus by requiring the Pentagon to factor in allegedly illegal subsidies when it chooses which firm should get the 35-billion-dollar contract.

The measure also funds a second engine for the F-35 fighter jet -- in defiance of a presidential veto threat, and over the Pentagon's objections that an alternative engine is "costly and unnecessary."

The bill authorizes 34 billion dollars in emergency spending for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and to provide humanitarian assistance to Haiti following a devastating earthquake in January.

The legislation also includes a measure aimed at barring transfers of suspected terrorist detainees held at Guantanamo Bay to facilities in the United States absent a presidential waiver.

It also forbids funds to build facilities to house such detainees, and bars transfers of detainees to third countries unless the Pentagon certifies that the host nation will prevent them from future terrorist activity.

The legislation would also include a provision, crafted by Republicans, that would require US President Barack Obama's administration to craft a military strategy for preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

And it would forbid the Pentagon from contracting with any entity that does 20 million dollars or more of business in Iran's energy sector or in technology that could help Tehran develop weapons of mass destruction.

The legislation also includes 500 million dollars to help move US Marines from a base in Japan to the US territory of Guam, and 75 million to help Yemen battle Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, the group behind the failed Christmas airliner bomb plot over Detroit.

Once the Senate passes its version of the legislation, both versions must be merged into a compromise bill that could be sent to Obama for his signature.

Share This Article With Planet Earth

del.icio.us	Digg	Reddit
YahooMyWeb	Google	Facebook

Memory Foam Mattress Review

SPACE MEDIA NETWORK PROMOTIONS
Solar Energy Solutions
Tempur-Pedic Mattress Comparison ...

Newsletters :: SpaceDaily :: SpaceWar :: TerraDaily :: Energy Daily
XML Feeds :: Space News :: Earth News :: War News :: Solar Energy News

Aussie vehicle makers eye PMV contract
Canberra, Australia (UPI) May 28, 2010
The Australian government has awarded three companies $7.5 million each to help them develop prototypes for a next-generation protected mobility vehicle contract of 1,300 units. "Thales Australia, Force Protection Europe and General Dynamics Land Systems Australia are the three companies that will be given a shot at this important contract," said Greg Combet, minister for defense materi ... read more

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2010 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement