Radioactive Offset

The Airborne and Maritime/Fixed Station Joint Tactical Radio System -- a $9 billion program to modernize aircraft and ship communication suites -- will be footing the bill to boost funding for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.

As part of the fiscal year 2012 National Defense Authorization Bill, the House yesterday approved an amendment to pump an additional $2.5 million into the nuclear safety panel that would pay for the hike by a corresponding cut to the AMF JTRS program, a decrement proposed a month after the Pentagon disclosed a 14-month program delay.

Proposed by Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) and adopted by a voice vote as part of a block of amendments, the provision would boost funding for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. In a statement, Sanchez described the panel as “an independent federal agency that ensures the readiness of the United States nuclear arsenal and provides safety oversight to the [Energy Department-operated] nuclear weapons complex.”