The US Congress on Thursday gave final approval to a 343-billion-US-dollar defense authorization bill that includes a broad military pay rise and full fund for a national missile defense system.
The Senate passed the bill by a vote of 96-2, hours after a vote of 382-40 in the House of Representatives. The measure then went to President George W. Bush for his signature.
The bill provides funds for defense spending by the Defense Department and military efforts of the Energy Department for the 2002 budget year that began on October 1. It marks a 33-billion- dollar increase, or 10.6 percent, over the 2001 spending.
In addition to funds for weapons purchase, the bill includes an across-the-board 5 percent pay rise for the armed forces, the largest military pay hike in 20 years.
It gave Bush the full fund of 8.3 billion dollars as request for the building of a national missile defense system, and included another 7 billion dollars for anti-terrorism efforts.
The measure, which had been stalled for months by resistance in the House to a Pentagon plan for a new round base closing in 2003, was approved after negotiators from the House and the Senate reached a compromise over the issue.
The Senate voted narrowly in September to support Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld's request for the base closures. But the House had rejected the plan, saying the closure would cost jobs and hurt local economies.
A compromise was reached earlier this week after the Senate agreed to push back the process by two years from the original target date of 2003.
Under the proposal, a nine-member commission appointed by Bush would review the Pentagon's list of bases to be closed. The president and Congress would have to approve or reject the entire list.
Defense officials said up to 25 percent of bases in the United States could be closed, saving 3 billion dollars a year. Four previous closing rounds -- in 1988, 1991, 1993 and 1995 -- led to closure or realignment of 451 installations.
( December 14, 2001)
