WASHINGTON -- A high-level Pentagon spat between Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Army Secretary Thomas White has emerged over the future of an expensive new artillery system the Army covets.
In a Pentagon briefing Thursday, Rumsfeld was visually peeved at reports that White, a former Enron executive under scrutiny for his sale of company stock, had sought to lobby Congress for the Crusader artillery system after learning Rumsfeld wanted the $11 billion program canceled. "I have a minimum of high regard for that kind of behavior," Rumsfeld said.
The dispute became public at a time White is already under the pressure of two separate investigations. The FBI is probing whether White improperly sought information from Enron officials between June and October as he was selling $12.1 million in company stock -- and Enron's stock value was tumbling.
And the Pentagon's inspector general is reviewing White's use of a military jet after reports surfaced that he stopped at a location where he was selling a house to close on that deal during a business trip without reimbursing the Army.
White has denied any wrongdoing in either matter.
The former vice chairman of Enron's energy services left a $55 million-a-year job with the company in early 2001 to take the post as Army secretary.
On Wednesday, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz met with White and told him to cancel the Crusader program within 30 days and come up with an alternative way to replace it, sources said.
Shortly after that, the Army's legislative affairs office faxed important members of Congress talking points describing why the system needed to be saved.
Rumsfeld said Thursday that even though the Army was asked to prepare alternatives, it did not mean a decision to cancel Crusader was irrevocable.
But he acknowledged such a step "clearly suggests that that's the intention -- to cancel it."
Rumsfeld was not happy that his authority to order service branches to cut weapons programs was being challenged.
"Ought a president and a secretary of defense and a deputy secretary of defense be able to expect that the leadership (of the military) and the overwhelming majority will in fact be supportive once a decision is made? Of course," he said.
Asked if he was concerned White might be fighting a "rear-guard action" to save the Crusader system, he said, "We are looking into that right now."
An Army spokesman said White had no comment on the Crusader issue Thursday.
One military official who spoke on background said the matter could become the decisive issue that leads to White's resignation from the Army.
"It may be that this becomes a matter of principle he can leave on with a certain amount of grace," the official said.
But William Taylor, a military expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies said, "What we've got going on is bureaucratic politics. It is nothing new. White isn't going behind Rumsfeld's back -- both of them know the other's position on this."
White said, "This is just a typical high-level debate over a weapon system that is in danger. This one is just out in the open."
The Crusader is a high-tech, mobile 155 mm self-propelled howitzer. It is lighter and more mobile than existing self-propelled artillery pieces, and the Army has told Congress it is crucial to plans for a more rapid deployment ability.
About $2 billion of a projected $11 billion cost for the program has already been spent. It was supposed to enter the service in 2008.
But you do have a little bit of "high regard for that kind of behavior" Rummie? Presumably just enough?....LOL... Rumsfield is learning Federal DC speak.
House Authorizers Vote To Bar Crusader Program's Termination
Source: InsideDefense.com
Published: May 1, 2002; Author: Erin Q. Winograd
The House Armed Services Committee voted late tonight to bar termination of the Crusader advanced field artillery system before the completion of the program's next major review in April 2003.The amendment, offered by Rep. J.C. Watts (R-OK) during the committee's mark-up of the fiscal year 2003 defense authorization bill, is a direct response to reported Defense Department plans to kill the howitzer program. Sources said Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz informed Army Secretary Thomas White yesterday (April 30) that the department intended to cancel Crusader.
Rather than accepting the administration's choice to kill Crusader, the Republican-controlled Armed Service Committee opted to strike back. The amendment to the House version of the fiscal year 2003 authorization bill "directs that there be no change to the Crusader development schedule, funding or procurement requirements, to include termination, until the completion of the Army's Milestone B Analysis of Alternatives." The bill further instructs that the Army secretary present a report on the completed analysis to all congressional defense committees by March 1, 2003. The language states that Congress will respond to the report within 30 days so that the scheduled milestone B review can be completed the following month.
The committee adds that Crusader is necessary to address the range and mobility shortfalls demonstrated during the Gulf War, and lauds the program for being "on schedule and budget." The bill expresses concern that "the transformational warfighting potential of Crusader has not been fully recognized by the Department of Defense and cannot be properly assessed until the Army completes its comprehensive" analysis of alternatives.
Crusader has been criticized repeatedly over the past two and a half years as inappropriate for the 21st century and out of step with the Army's "transformation" to a lighter, more deployable and more versatile force. The howitzer at one time tipped the scales at 55 tons, as did its resupply vehicle. However, in December 1999, the Army requested that developer United Defense LP -- now called United Defense Industries -- redesign the system to reduce its bulk. The result was a howitzer and a tracked resupply vehicle each weighing approximately 40 tons plus a new wheeled resupply vehicle weighing even less.
The Army also decided to limit its Crusader purchase, trimming planned procurement of 1,138 howitzers and resupply vehicles by 50 percent.
Crusader supporters, such as White, argue that U.S. artillery capability lags far behind many other countries, including North Korea and Iraq, members of Bush's so-called "axis of evil." Proponents also dispute the notion that Crusader is not transformational, asserting it will be complementary to the service's Objective Force as well as an integral part of the Counterattack Corps over the next 30 years.
During the Republican presidential primaries, then-candidate George W. Bush singled out Crusader as a system he would target for cancellation. However, several members of Congress, including fellow Republicans such as Watts and Sen. James Inhofe (R-OK), strongly back the program. Sources say Watts and Inhofe were perturbed by the rumors of Crusader's imminent demise. Watts reportedly raised the issue of the howitzer's fate at a morning meeting with the president. Sources say Watts left concerned that Bush is basing his assessment of the program on old information dating back to the system's original design, which is not representative of the internal changes the platform has undergone, they argue.
A press release issued by Watts' office prior to the vote on his amendment noted that, "Those of us who support Crusader and recognize the important role it plays in America's national security believe its critics are using outdated data while making decisions on its future. We hope the decision the administration makes on the Crusader is based on current data. Outdated anecdotes about the size and capability of Crusader have been long since disproved."
While some defense insiders say a few key members of Congress were informed by Wolfowitz that Crusader would be terminated, it appears the majority of legislators were not consulted. One Capitol Hill source said members were outraged that they had not been personally notified.
"One of our grievances was that Wolfowitz assured [certain] members . . . as recently as five days ago 'the program is OK,'" the source said. Wolfowitz even hinted that a new study of precision fires and smart munitions may call for more Crusaders. "That flew in the face of reality yesterday when we got the same news you did," the source stated.
Sources said the Oklahoma congressional delegation requested a meeting with Wolfowitz this afternoon to discuss Crusader. The deputy secretary agreed, then canceled the meeting at the last minute, they stated.
Oklahoma has a stake in Crusader's future. UDI has promised to do a certain portion of the howitzer's construction in Elgin, OK, near Ft. Sill, which is the home of Army field artillery. A congressional source was quick to point out, however, that the program has not yet directly generated any jobs in Oklahoma.
Following passage of his amendment, Watts issued another statement trumpeting the howitzer. "Contrary to various rumors and scenarios, the Crusader program clearly retains the full confidence of the House Armed Services Committee," he stated. "This 'leap-ahead' artillery piece will save soldier's lives in battles in the 21st Century. There can be no question of Congress' commitment to the program."
Crusader likely will find similar support in the Senate. Inhofe, a member of that body's Armed Services Committee, strongly backed the program in a May 1 press release. According to the statement, "Any decision to cancel Crusader now would go completely against the testimony Congress has consistently received on this issue. Without exception, every uniformed officer and enlisted person that testified before Congress on this issue agreed that Crusader was the crown jewel of our Army modernization program." Killing Crusader "would also undermine the integrity of the proper procurement process in which studies to evaluate various alternative technologies are already underway and are not scheduled to be completed before next year," he adds.
Inhofe notes that "several other countries have superior artillery systems in their inventories in terms of rapid fire and range. It makes no sense for us not to proceed with this important modernization. It is un-American to send our troops into battle with inferior equipment."
"The fight for Crusader will continue in Congress," he declares. "It has strong support among both Republicans and Democrats. I plan to work through the authorization and appropriations process to ensure that it remains fully funded."