Department of Defense Appropriation Authorization Act, 1978

Summary

Department of Defense Appropriation Authorization Act - Title I: Procurement - Authorizes appropriations in specified amounts for fiscal year 1978 for the procurement of aircraft, missiles, naval vessels, tracked combat vehicles, torpedoes, and other weapons for the armed forces. Prohibits the use of funds authorized under this Act for the DDG-47 guided missile destroyer program for materials or components which are not suitable for use in a nuclear powered strike cruiser until the President has made certain determinations and has reported them to the Congress. Title II: Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation - Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1978 for military research, development, testing and evaluation for the armed forces, the defense agencies, and the Director of Defense Research and Engineering. Sets forth the purposes for which the Director is required to use such funds. Prohibits the use of funds under this title for the Roland Missile System until the Secretary of the Army notifies the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and House of Representatives that certain conditions have been met. Prohibits the use of funds under this Act for the installation of a 120-millimeter gun on the XM-1 tank until certain conditions have been met. Directs the Secretary of the Army to study the feasibility of deploying the XM-1 tank with integral chemical, biological, and radiological warfare defense equipment and to report the results of such study to the Committees on Armed Services of the House and Senate. Prohibits the Secretary from obligating funds under this Act for the improvement of the M-139 gun as an interim weapon system for use on the Mechanized Infantry Combat Vehicle or for the integration of the Tube-launched Optical-tracked Wire-guided (TOW) weapon system on such vehicle until the production of such vehicle is initiated. Title III: Active Forces - Prescribes the authorized end strength for active duty personnel in the various components of the armed forces for fiscal year 1978. Title IV: Reserve Forces - Prescribes the average strength for the Selected Reserve components of each of the armed forces. Authorizes the Secretaries of each military department and the Secretary of Transportation with respect to the Coast Guard to establish educational assistance programs for members of the Selected Reserve of the Ready Reserve of each of the armed forces. Stipulates that such assistance may equal 50 percent of the educational expenses incurred by a member at an accredited institution and that the maximum amount available shall not exceed $2,000. Establishes eligibility requirements for participation in such program. Requires the Secretary of Defense to submit periodic reports to Congress regarding the number of members receiving such educational assistance. Establishes reenlistment bonuses for members of the Selected Reserve components of each of the armed forces. Requires the Secretary of Defense to submit periodic reports to Congress regarding the number of individuals receiving such bonuses. Title V: Civilian Personnel - Prescribes the authorized end strength for civilian personnel within the Department of Defense. Requires the Secretary of Defense to report to the Congress regarding the allocation of such personnel among the military departments and agencies of the Department including a rationale for each such allocation. Authorizes the Secretary to increase the number of civilian personnel prescribed under this Act if such action is necessary in the national interest. Stipulates that such increase shall not exceed one and one-half percent of the level authorized under this Act. Requires the Secretary to promptly notify Congress of any such increase. Title VI: Military Training Student Loads - Prescribes the authorized average military training student load for the various components of the armed forces for fiscal year 1978. Title VII: Civil Defense - Authorizes appropriations for fiscal year 1978 to carry out the provisions of the Federal Civil Defense Act of 1950 for programs of the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency. Title VIII: General Provisions - Directs the President, beginning with fiscal year 1979, to include in the budget a request for funds sufficient to meet the total operation and maintenance costs of the Department of Defense. Authorizes appropriations in such amounts as may be necessary to pay claims or equitable adjustments arising out of contracts for the construction of naval vessels. Prohibits the paying of such a claim or adjustment arising out of any contract over $5,000,000 unless the Secretary of Defense has certified to Congress that the claim or adjustment has been thoroughly examined. Makes the required length of service for female members of the armed forces the same as males. Removes the present requirement that the Secretaries of the Army and Air Force conduct annual inspections of the Army and Air Force National Guard. Extends the subsistence allowances for members of the Marine Corps officer candidate programs through fiscal year 1978. Extends the President's authority to furnish Israel with aircraft and related equipment through fiscal year 1979. Stipulates that no such transfer may be made unless funds have been previously appropriated for such transfer. Directs the Secretary of Defense to supply a full accounting to the Committees on Armed Services of the House and Senate of all experiments or tests of the Department during the previous year which involved the use of human subjects for the testing of chemical or biological agents. Requires the Secretary to inform such committees of any such experiments or studies at least 30 days before their initiation. Directs the Secretary to conduct a study of the criteria used in determining whether commercial or industrial type functions of any Department of Defense installation should be performed by Department personnel or by private contractors. Prohibits any further conversion of such work to private contractors before March 15, 1978.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

No timeline events have been ingested for this record yet.

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

No version snapshots stored. Document URLs remain at the source.

Documents

3 official files

• Public Law (PDF)

  Public Law · EN · 31 July 1977

  ViewDownloadOpen at official source

• Conference report filed in House

  summary · EN · 20 June 1977

  Open at official source

• Introduced in House

  summary · EN · 4 April 1977

  Open at official source

Sponsors

No sponsors or actors listed by the source.

Related records

No cross-record relationships stored yet.