DOD PLANS CUTS TO TECHNOLOGY REINVESTMENT PROGRAM from IEEE-USA

[David Farber <farber () central cis upenn edu>]

IEEE-USA INFORMATION BULLETIN


DOD PLANS CUTS TO TECHNOLOGY REINVESTMENT PROGRAM


December 22, 1994




Attached is an information item on anticipated cuts to
the Department of Defense's Technology Reinvestment
Program.  This item was obtained and forwarded by IEEE
member Arvid Larson from a Department of Defense-
related bulletin board.


This electronic bulletin is provided as part of an on-
going effort by IEEE's United States Activities Board
to apprise IEEE members of important U.S. public policy
developments related to technology and career-related
policy issues.  Please feel free to post this message
and/or forward it to other individuals who you believe
would be interested.


Contact:
Chris J. Brantley
Manager, Government Activities
Institute of Electrical and Electronics
  Engineers - United States Activities
1828 L Street, N.W., Suite 1202
Washington, DC 20036-5104
Email:  c.brantley () ieee org


=====APPENDED ITEM======


DOD CUTS MONEY FROM HIGH-PRIORITY DUAL USE PROGRAM


With key Republicans vowing to gut the administration's
dual-use technology initiatives, DOD leadership has
decided to do some trimming of its own, cutting $265
million from the Technology Reinvestment Program (TRP)
in the next two fiscal years. The decision was made in
a program budget decision (PBD) approved by the
Pentagon Comptroller December 16.


Just two months ago, the White House called the TRP the
"centerpiece" of President Clinton's "program to
promote economic growth while protecting national
security in the post-Cold War world."  TRP emphasizes
dual-use projects, efforts that will yield technology
for military and commercial applications, with the
intention of creating a single defense and technology
industrial base.




With Republicans preparing to assume control of
Congress, however, TRP is coming under attack.  House
Republicans, in their Contract With America, promised
to cut items in DOD's budget that are not related to
defense, including dual-use defense conversion
programs.  In addition, two senior Republican members
of the Senate Armed Services Committee, John McCain
(AZ.) and John Warner (Va.), are proposing a defense
legislative plan that includes rescinding $550 million
from TRP.


The Program Budget Decision cuts $125 million from the
$650 million proposed in FY 1996 by the Advanced
Research Projects Agency, which runs TRP.  It also
takes $140 million of the $675 million requested in FY
1997.


The initial competition for TRP attracted 2,850
proposals from industry requesting a total of $8.5
billion.  Thus far, reports today's edition of Defense
Daily, DOD has awarded $805 million to industry for 251
projects.  An additional $15 million for Small Business
Innovation Research has gone to 153 small businesses.


====END OF ITEM====