EXTRA $12,300M. FOR U.S. DEFENCE

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30962, 19 January 1966, Page 17

EXTRA $12,300M. FOR U.S. DEFENCE

fN ZP A. Reuter—Copyright) WASHINGTON, January 18. 1 he United States Defence Secretary, Mr Robert McNamara, announced last night that Congress will be asked for an additional 12.300 million dollars in defence appropriations for the current fiscal year eliding on June 30.

He said this would provide for an additional 113,000 men in the armed forces as well as

94,000 more civilians. This will mean that in the 1967 financial year United States military manpower will be above the three million mark for the first time since the Korean war.

The peak strength during the Korean conflict was 3.685,000 men. at April 30. 1952. This fell below the three million mark in 1955. .Mr McNamara made the announcement after briefing Congressional leaders at the White House.

He said that the proposed supplemental appropriation, with the amount the Administration intended to ask for in association with the 1967 Budget, would finance all presently planned or contem-

plated military operations, including those in South Vietnam, up to June 30, 1967. Mr McNamara told reporters that the supplemental appropriation that would be requested for the current fiscal year would be sent to Congress tomorrow. He would testify on it before a Senate committee on Thursday. New Estimate

Mr McNamara estimated that of the new appropriation only 4600 million dollars would be spent up to next June 30. This would bring defence expenditures in the current Budget to a total of 54,200 million dollars.

Last year Congress appropriated an additional 1700 million dollars for the 1966 defence budget. Mr McNamara recalled that this had taken care of an addition of 375,000 uniformed men and civilians to the armed forces. The further 207,000 now to be added would bring the total in the armed forces, including civilians, to 4,168,000.