Navy News Servce 70/94 - 01 dDec 94

[Navy News Service]

From Navy News Service <nav...@opnav-emh.navy.mil>

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Navy News Service - NAVNEWS BY EMAIL - nav...@opnav-emh.navy.mil
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NAVY NEWS SERVICE - 01 DEC 94 - NAVNEWS 070/94
Editor's Note
This Navy News Service message follows NAVNEWS 069/94 DTG
302300Z NOV 94. NAVNEWS 070/94 is being released as a means of
providing more timely information to the fleet.
-USN-
NNS811. President Clinton to Support Military with Budget Boost
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- President Bill Clinton today (Dec. 1) announced
a five-part initiative designed to improve U.S. military readiness
by boosting quality of life funding for service members, and
increasing the defense budget by billions over the next six years.
"Whether our forces are in engaged in combat, acting as
peacekeepers, or delivering humanitarian assistance, we must
continue to review their requirements, provide adequate funding and
keep our military edge," said the President at a White House press
conference accompanied by Secretary of Defense William Perry and
the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The Clinton administration's plans include:
1. Requesting a $25 billion increase in defense spending over the
next six years from Congress.
2. Seeking the full pay raise allowed by law for members of the
armed forces though the year 2000.
3. Fully supporting the Department of Defense's quality of life
initiatives announced last month, which allots $2.5 billion to
improve programs for service members and their families.
4. Asking Congress to provide real growth in the defense budget
during the last two years of the next six-year plan to ensure the
military enters the 21st century with the most modern equipment
available.
5. An emergency supplemental funding request for the current
fiscal year to reimburse the military for unanticipated
expenditures associated with contingency operations in the Persian
Gulf, the Adriatic, Haiti and elsewhere.
"These actions I'm announcing today reinforce...my personal
commitment to maintaining the highest training standards for our
military, to preparing them to depart on missions around the world
at a moment's notice," said President Clinton. "They will ensure
that our men and women in uniform can be assured that their
families are getting the kind of support they need and deserve. We
ask much of our military, and we owe much to them in return."
In an example of how the President's initiative will affect
the Navy, all Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates scheduled for
decommissioning between 1997 and 1999 would be retained throughout
the six year planning period, according to Deputy Secretary of
Defense John M. Deutch.
-USN-