Evening star., 1953-07-08
Senate Restoration
OF $500 Mi|Iionin
Defense Funds Urged
By John A. Giles

oy J0nn n. 0IIeS
The Defense Department will
ask the Senate to restore ap-
proximately $500 million of the
$1.3 billion cut by the House from
President Eisenhower's "bare
minimum" military budget and
to eliminate controversial pro-
vision rigidly restricting prof.
cheney flying.
The Senate Appropriations
Committee will be asked to re-
turn virtually all of the $240 mil
lion which the House cut from
the Air Force budget. However,
Secretary of Defense Wilson will
not ask for any additions for that
service.
A move to increase the air
arms spending program by $1.1
billion was beaten down in the
House and a strong Senate fight
on similar proposal is expected.
sos Million Saving Seen.
The proficiency flying provi-
sion, the House Appropriations
Committee estimated. would re-
suit in an annual saving of $95
million.
The section includes a proviso
that officers entitled to receive
flight pay would continue to do
so without being required to fly,
provided they have aeronautical
ratings or designations for not
less than Is years. It also pro-
hibited the expenditure of funds
for maintenance and operation
OF aircraft for proficiency flying
in excess of 48 hours a year by
providing that flyers transferred
to or now occupying non-f1ying
assignments would continue to
qualify for flight pay by flying
that number of hours instead of
the present 100 hours.
The committee said thousands
of officers who never intend to or
ever will again participate in
combat flying are continuing pro-
f1ciency flying and receiving
flight pay therefor.
while the cost of flight pay
Is significant, other direct and in
direct costs, while difficult of ac-
curate determination, are es-
timated IN the hundreds of mil
lions of dollars" it stated, and
estimated it's restriction would
trim $40 million from Air Force
and $25 million from Navy ex-
penditures.
Flight Status Defended
The Navy and Air Force say
that while thousands of officers
might not intend" to fly in
combat, an emergency might
change their intentions over
night and that they should be
kept qualified. They add that 48
hours flying annually would not
be sufficient to keep pilots quail
fled due to the tremendous COM
plications of modern aircraft.
Some 10000 of the $4,000 Air
Force flyers are in the pro-
ficiency flying status. The major
portion of the operations at
Andrews Air Force Base in near
by Maryland is the maintenance
and operation of planes whose
primary mission is to make fly
ing qualification possible in this
area. The base cost $7,9 million
to operate in the 1852 fiscal year.
The reductions not being ap-
pealed include $170 million in
Army procurement funds and
$95 million for research and de-
velopment.
The Navy does not plan to ap-
peal $54 million cut in ordnance
funds and SAL million in main
tenance and operation of ships,
but does intend to ask reStora-
ton of SAB million for aircraft
and facilities, $50 million for
sfipbuildlng and conversion.
The Air Force seeks restora-
ton of funds for procurement,
research and development, per-
sonnel and maintenance and op-
erations.
The House cut 100000 from
$5OO,00O sought in the EiSen-
hover budget for the depart
ment's public information acti-
vities here, and Mr.. Wilson, is
asking that this be restored. 1t
also seeks temporary continual
ton of the Armed Forces In
formation School at Fort Slo-
cum. N. Y,