MILITARY FUNDING BACK IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Military readiness has never been a high priority for the Clinton administration. As a result, funding to maintain the degree of preparedness that would allow U.S. forces to wage two regional wars at the same time -- a military standard that is widely accepted -- has been sorely lacking.

Curious, then, that President Clinton suddenly sent a letter last week to Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott urging the approval of $1 billion in additional funding for the Pentagon next year.

News reports indicated that the president had met with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. During that meeting, the reports said, Clinton suggested that the chiefs should push for more budget increases to upgrade weapons systems and improve troop living conditions.

That may be what the White House wants the public to believe, but Pentagon insiders and others have a different version that goes something like this:

Fed up with the commander in chief's lackadaisical attitude about military spending and the overall readiness of U.S. troops to defend the nation, the Joint Chiefs called the president on the carpet and, in plain language, demanded his support for increased funding. Fearing, among other things, a military brouhaha at a time when he is struggling with impeachment decisions and credibility issues, Clinton hastily agreed to go along with the request. He sent the letter to Lott right away.

While there are legitimate concerns about military funding, there also must be concern about how the military spends the money it gets. The problem goes far beyond costly toilet seats. Each of the military branches has more top brass than at any time in American history -- more generals by far than during World War II, for example. And billions of dollars continue to be spent on new weapons systems that would replace existing systems designed to last another decade or so.

As Congress weighs the new funding push, it should also examine the efficiency of military operations -- if senators and representatives can look beyond the military pork in their own districts.