Halt Inessential Buying, Armed Forces Ordered

WASHINGTON — In a belt-tightening move to keep within its 1988 budget, the Defense Department today ordered the U.S. military services to stop buying items ranging from television sets to lawn mowers.

The services were told to halt non-essential purchases through June 30, and a senior defense official told reporters that the Pentagon will sharply limit new research, development, testing and engineering contracts during the period.

Deputy Defense Secretary William Howard Taft IV told reporters that military billing payments in March and April total about $2.5 billion over projections and threaten the Pentagon’s total spending ceiling of $277 billion for fiscal 1988.

“This deferral seems to be a sensible approach now to address the issue,” he said.

“We will look at things in July to see if this can be lifted or (whether) more steps will have to be taken,” he said at a press conference.

Overtime Barred

Taft said his order to defer new weapons research and development contracts during the period in question will not include contracts involving immediate military readiness, strategic defense programs such as “Star Wars” and essential medical and other services for troops and their families.

But he said other items ranging from renewal of magazine subscriptions to purchase of non-essential office supplies will be deferred by the Defense Department and the military services until at least June 30.

The military services were ordered not to authorize any overtime pay for civilian employees and to limit hiring to one new civilian for every two who leave their jobs.

A list of items that may not be purchased by the U.S. military anywhere in the world during the period in question included small computers, office furniture, rugs, drapes, typewriters, calculators, television sets, air conditioners, tools, paint and lumber.