    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
    [November 18, 1997]
    [Pages 1611-1612]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Statement on Signing the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal
    Year 1998
    November 18, 1997

        I have signed into law H.R. 1119, the ``National Defense
    Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1998.'' This Act authorizes fiscal
    year 1998 appropriations for military activities of the Department of
    Defense, military construction, and defense activities of the Department
    of Energy. Although I have reservations about some provisions in this
    Act, it supports a large number of my Administration's defense program
    and policy priorities. Moreover, the conferees' revision of the bill
    satisfactorily addresses several onerous provisions that were included
    in previous versions that my Administration opposed.
        This Act provides for a strong national defense, maintains high
    military readiness, supports our commitments to a better quality of life
    for our Armed Forces and their families, and authorizes investment
    programs necessary to modernize the equipment that our forces use. By
    providing the necessary support for our forces, it ensures continuing
    American global leadership.
        The Act demonstrates that we can maintain a robust defense while
    achieving a balanced Federal budget. It supports a wide range of quality
    of life initiatives, including a 2.8 percent military pay raise, an
    increase in aviation officer career incentive pay, a doubling of the
    aviation officer career retention bonus, and increases in hazardous duty
    pay and the family separation allowance. I am also pleased that this Act
    provides resources to support most of the recommendations of the
    Department of Defense's Quadrennial Defense Review. In particular, it
    supports major  procurement  programs,  such  as  the F-22 and V-22
    aircraft, central to modernizing our forces for the 21st century.
        The Act also provides strong support for the Chemical
    Demilitarization Program, crucial for implementing the Chemical Weapons
    Convention for which the Senate provided advice and consent to
    ratification earlier this year. It also provides the President new
    authority to call up 30,000 volunteers from the Individual Ready Reserve
    for active duty. This gives the Secretary of Defense greater flexibility
    in tailoring reserve call-ups and enables him to make greater use of the
    unique skills found in the Individual Ready Reserve.
        I am very disappointed, however, that H.R. 1119 imposes restrictions
    on the Department of Defense's ability to contract with the private
    sector for the maintenance of weapon systems and components. Both the
    Quadrennial Defense Review and the Defense Reform Task Force recommended
    relief from current laws that constrain the Department's efforts to
    competitively outsource depot maintenance workload. By further
    restricting, rather than facilitating, such competitive outsourcing, the
    Act will limit the Department's flexibility to increase efficiency,
    preserve readiness, and save taxpayer dollars. The Act also changes the
    terms under which public-private competitions for work at closing
    maintenance depots can be conducted. Some of these changes should prove
    helpful, but other changes will likely make the Department's job more
    difficult. Nevertheless, the Secretary of Defense has indicated that the
    Department has flexibility to proceed with the remaining public-private
    competitions in a way that is fair to both sides. The Secretary has
    pledged to implement the Act so as to encourage all bidders, public and
    private, and to do everything possible

    [[Page 1612]]

    to ensure that the competitions occur on a level playing field. Such an
    approach will achieve my Administration's goals of strongly supporting
    our military forces while providing savings that can be applied to the
    modernization of our forces.
        The Act also attempts to severely limit the President's flexibility
    to conduct foreign policy by mandating permanent controls on the export
    of certain high-performance computers to specific countries, including
    Israel, Russia, and China. It would limit the President's ability to
    adapt computer export controls to changing security needs and technology
    trends. The Act would impose unrealistic congressional notification,
    licensing, and post-shipment requirements that would have the unintended
    effect of decreasing our ability to identify and prevent exports
    affecting national security. My Administration intends to work with the
    Congress to pass legislation that would restore the President's
    flexibility on computer export controls and allow us to concentrate on
    preventing exports of real national security concern.
        Other provisions of H.R. 1119 raise serious constitutional issues.
    Because of the President's constitutional role, the Congress may not
    prevent the President from controlling the disclosure of classified and
    other sensitive information by subordinate officials of the executive
    branch (section 1305). Because the Constitution vests the conduct of
    foreign affairs in the President, the Congress may not dictate the
    President's negotiations with foreign governments (section 1221). Nor
    may the Congress place in its own officers, such as the Comptroller
    General, the power to execute the law (section 217). These provisions
    will be construed and carried out in keeping with the President's
    constitutional responsibilities.
        Finally, I am disappointed that the Act did not authorize the
    additional two Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) rounds that the
    Secretary of Defense requested. The Quadrennial Defense Review and the
    Secretary's Defense Reform Task Force both concluded that the Department
    of Defense is burdened by the excessive cost of maintaining a base
    infrastructure much larger than is required to support our Armed Forces.
    The money spent maintaining that infrastructure is badly needed for
    modernization of aging weapons and equipment so that our forces remain
    the world's best in the 21st century. I call on the Congress to support
    the Department of Defense request for additional BRAC rounds.
        In summary, though the Act raises some concerns, it strengthens our
    national security by supporting my Administration's plans to modernize
    and prepare our Armed Forces, advances the quality of life for our
    forces, and helps assure continued American leadership.

                                                          William J. Clinton

    The White House,

    November 18, 1997.

    Note: H.R. 1119, approved November 18, was assigned Public Law No. 105-
    85. This statement was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    November 19.