EDITORIAL\National insecurity\Administration actions on the B-2 bomber are hazardous.

PRESIDENT CLINTON'S decision to freeze production of the B-2 stealth bomber to the 20 aircraft that already have been ordered was disturbing for several reasons.

One is the administration's zig-zagging on the issue (are we surprised?). Even in its Feb. 8 announcement, the White House said that the B-2 remains "a highly capable long-range and stealthy bomber that will make important strategic and conventional contributions well into the 21st century."

On several occasions, Clinton himself had indicated that he might support congressional efforts to build more B-2s. (That the plane was being built in politically important California only buttressed his position.)

But the president's indecisive handling of the B-2 program is, in some ways, the least of it. What really worries us is that administration officials, in their pursuit of defense-spending cuts, are openly talking about abandoning a still-vital military doctrine: that the United States must be able to fight two major regional conflicts at the same time.

The two-front doctrine makes excellent sense. Without it, an international troublemaker in Asia, for example, might be tempted to attack a neighbor if the United States became embroiled in a conflict in Europe or the Middle East. The White House shouldn't encourage that kind of reckless conduct by advertising the nation's defense weaknesses.

But that's what happened last month. Speaking to a group of defense writers on administration plans to further reduce the size of the armed forces, Defense Secretary William Perry said: "If we had to make a major cut in force structure, one of the things that would go would be the strategy that supports two MRCs (major regional contingencies)."

Some reductions, such as in ground forces, might be acceptable. But we don't think that further cuts in defense spending are appropriate; it already has fallen sharply in recent years, both as a percentage of the federal budget and the Gross Domestic Product.

Further, the need for strong air and naval forces would remain regardless of what happens to the ground forces.

That was pointed out by Retired Air Force Brig Gen. Buster Glosson, who planned the air campaign during the Gulf War, in an interview with Aviation Week and Space Technology.

Glosson said that while it might not be necessary to wage two ground operations at the same time, "we all acknowledge that you must be able to stabilize the second conflict, and as long as you have B-2s and aircraft carriers, it's going to be tough for a rogue nation to enjoy any success."

The United States, as a two-nation power, must be able to project its power to either the east or the west if it is to remain secure. Thus, it is essential that this nation have a two-MRC capability. And based on what Glosson said, we think the case for the B-2 is stronger than ever.