Isle Strykers gain more funds
An extra $17.5 million has been
approved to build the vehicles
set for Schofield Barracks
Despite an adverse government report, the U.S. Senate, urged by Hawaii's Daniel Inouye, has set aside $17.5 million for the new Stryker brigade slated for Schofield Barracks over the next decade.
The money for the Schofield unit is contained in the $369.2 billion Defense Appropriations bill for next year, approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday.
Inouye said the money is an addition to the $71.8 million moved by the same Senate Appropriations Committee last month to fund four projects at Schofield Barracks to support the Stryker brigade.
"Schofield Barracks will be building new facilities, adding personnel and increasing its land area to accommodate the unit," said Inouye, who is a senior member of the Senate committee.
The additional $17.5 million approved for Senate action will be used to build the Stryker vehicles assigned to the Wahiawa unit. Nearly 400 19-ton, eight-wheel combat vehicles are planned for the 25th Infantry Division brigade, which could be increased by 500 soldiers.
The Stryker armored vehicle, the brainchild and legacy of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric "Ric" Shinseki, was proposed in 1999 as part of the Army's transformation initiative to respond more rapidly to worldwide emergencies.
However, the U.S. General Accounting Office reiterated last month an Air Force-sponsored report that the Army cannot achieve its goal of deploying a Stryker brigade anywhere in the world within four days.
In response to the GAO report, the Army said the goal should not be construed as a standard, but that it was working to fulfill that commitment.
Four Stryker brigades, built around a 19-ton vehicle that can be configured to carry troops, medical supplies or work as a command center, have been approved.
However, last year, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld directed the Army not to spend money next year on two units designated for the 25th Infantry Division and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard until all options are explored.
Inouye said the Department of Defense Appropriations bill also includes an additional $18.43 million as part of the 10-year, $400 million cleanup of Kahoolawe, which will end in November. From 1942 through 1990, Kahoolawe was used by the military as a bombing range until it was returned to state control.