The House Armed Services Committee yesterday released its markup of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016, authorized $25 million for exploring response options to Russia’s alleged violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. The President’s FY 2016 budget did not request funds to explore possible offsets to Russia’s cited violation of the Treaty. Released July 31, the State Department’s annual report on arms control compliance stated that Russia had violated the INF Treaty by developing a ground-launched cruise missile capable of hitting the INF-prohibited range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers. Russia has denied the accusation. “The Mark directs the Defense Department to begin development of military capabilities to counter Russia’s violation of the INF treaty and authorizes the first year’s funding to begin research and development,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), Chair of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee, said last week after the rollout of his panel’s markup. “We are done waiting for the White House to make decisions it should have made years ago. The Congress will not allow the United States to be effectively unilaterally restrained while Russia flagrantly violates this and other treaties.” The budget line comes after top defense and State Department officials have for months noted intentions to stay the course of attempting to bring Russia back into compliance with the treaty, while they have also outlined other options, including sanctions and countervailing defense capabilities, as response options.
The mark also authorizes the transfer of $1.39 billion into the Sea-Based Deterrence Fund. The Mark moves all $971.4 million for the Ohio-class Replacement from the President’s FY 2016 budget request into the account, and shifts $419.3 million of the $482 million requested for Advanced Nuclear Power Systems (ANPS) into the account, leaving the remaining $62.7 million in the ANPS budget line. Released last week, the HASC Seapower & Projection Forces Subcommittee markup inscribed the authorization for “cross-program coordinated procurement efforts.”
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