PENTAGON REJECTS MCKEON'S CALL FOR SPY-PLANE FUNDING.Byline: Jim Skeen Daily News Staff Writer The Pentagon rejected a request from Antelope Valley's congressman to reactivate re·ac·ti·vate v. 1. To make active again. 2. To restore the ability to function or the effectiveness of. re·ac the SR-71 program, saying the program is not cost effective and there are better reconnaissance tools available. In a letter to U.S. Rep. Howard ``Buck'' McKeon, R-Santa Clarita, Undersecretary of Defense William J. Lyan said the Pentagon does not want to restore $39 million eliminated by President Clinton in a line-item veto line-i·tem veto n. Authority, as of a government executive, to reject provisions of a bill individually. Also called item veto. . The money should be used for other needed programs, Lyan wrote. In explaining the decision, Lyan quoted a response Secretary of Defense William Cohen offered to Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va. in explaining why the 2,000-mph spy plane would not be revived. ``In the current fiscally constrained defense environment, we must ensure maximum return for every dollar we invest in our nation's defense. The SR-71 no longer meets this criterion. In today's post-Cold War era The Post-Cold War era is a time period following the end of the Cold War. Its beginning is dated either in 1989, when the Revolutions of 1989 occurred in Eastern Europe and amicable relations developed between the United States and the Soviet Union, or it is dated in 1991 with the , the SR-71's penetration capability does not justify its cost. Our imagery requirements are better met with current and planned airborne and space-based systems,'' Cohen cohen or kohen (Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. said. McKeon will continue to push legislation to try to bring the program back, said the congressman's spokesman, David Foy. ``We are continuing to work on it and point out the advantages of the SR-71,'' Foy said. President Clinton stopped the SR-71 Blackbird program in October by using a line-item veto to cut $39 million for its operations. The planes were retired in April. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the line-item veto was unconstitutional. Based at Edwards Air Force Base Edwards Air Force Base, U.S. military installation, 301,000 acres (121,805 hectares), S Calif., NE of Lancaster; est. 1933. It is one of the largest air force bases in the United States and has the world's longest runway. , the program had a staff of 11 military personnel and 90 contractor employees. The program provided $4 million annually to the Antelope Valley economy, according to an environmental impact report prepared for the deactivation de·ac·ti·vate tr.v. de·ac·ti·vat·ed, de·ac·ti·vat·ing, de·ac·ti·vates 1. To render inactive or ineffective. 2. To inhibit, block, or disrupt the action of (an enzyme or other biological agent). 3. of the program. NASA NASA: see National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration Independent U.S. will continue to fly one of the SR-71 spy planes in research missions, as well as the modified SR-71B trainer. McKeon has introduced a bill to provide $30 million for the spy plane. The bill extends the authorization to spend $30 million on Blackbird operations to Sept. 30, 1999. Without the extension, the funding authority would lapse this September. The authority to spend $9 million for SR-71 aircraft modifications is valid for three more years. ``The SR-71s capabilities are indispensable in defending America in this era of international terrorism and rogue nations armed with weapons of mass destruction Weapons that are capable of a high order of destruction and/or of being used in such a manner as to destroy large numbers of people. Weapons of mass destruction can be high explosives or nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological weapons, but exclude the means of transporting or ,'' McKeon said. Earlier this year, McKeon and nine other congressmen sent a letter to the Pentagon asking for the restoration of the funds. In the letter, the representatives argued the Blackbird aircraft are needed to provide quick intelligence information in a world that has seen the spread of sophisticated weapons in Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Pakistan and India. Citing limited financial resources and development of other reconnaissance systems, such as unmanned drones and satellites, the Blackbird airplanes were first retired in late 1989. Spurred by accounts of field commanders not receiving the intelligence they needed during the Persian Gulf War Persian Gulf War or Gulf War (1990–91) International conflict triggered by Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. Though justified by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein on grounds that Kuwait was historically part of Iraq, the invasion was presumed to be , Congress voted to restore the program. After a refurbishing and modification program by Lockheed Martin's ``Skunk skunk, name for several related New World mammals of the weasel family, characterized by their conspicuous black and white markings and use of a strong, highly offensive odor for defense. Works'' in Palmdale, two SR-71s were declared ready for spy missions on Jan. 1, 1997. |
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