CONVENTION FOCUS ON NATIONAL SECURITY

ABOUT THE MILITARY

- Military personnel received a 4.8% pay raise in January, the largest increase in almost 20 years.

- A study found that almost 12,000 members of the armed forces rely on food stamps.

- In fiscal year 2000, the estimated $291-billion national defense budget will account for about 16% of total federal spending.

- The Department of Defense will spend an estimated $34.4 billion in fiscal year 2000 on research, development, testing and evaluation. In fiscal year 1999, it spent $36.6 billion on the same activities.

GOP PROPOSALS

Missile Defense

Deploy nationwide antiballistic missile defense system. Amend Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty or, if Russia fails to agree, withdraw from it.

Spending

Increase military pay by additional $1 billion. Renovate military housing. Increase research and development spending by at least $20 billion from 2002 to 2006.

DEMOCRATIC PROPOSALS

Missile Defense

Support development of technology for a limited national missile defense system that would be compatible with the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty but rejects Republican plan as unproved and expensive.

Spending

Increase pay. Increase defense spending by $127 billion over the next 10 years.