Department of Defense Appropriation Authorization Act, 1977

(Conference report filed in House, H. Rept. 94-1305)

Department of Defense Appropriations Authorization Act - =Title I: Procurement= - Authorizes the appropriation of specified amounts for fiscal year 1977 for aircraft, missiles, naval vessels, tracked combat vehicles, torpedoes, and other weapons procurement.

=Title II: Research Development, Test, and Evaluation= - Authorizes the appropriation of specified amounts for use by the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Defense Agencies for research and development.

=Title III: Active Force= - Authorizes end strength limits for active duty personnel for the military departments for the period of October 1, 1976, through September 30, 1977.

Requires the Secretary of Defense to include in his annual report to the Congress on active duty end strength recommendations, an identification, and definition, and grouping by mission and region of the types of military bases, installations and facilities, and an explanation and justification of the relationship between such base structure and the proposed military structure, together with a comprehensive identification of base operating support costs and an evaluation of possible alternatives to reduce such costs. Permits members of the uniformed military services and of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which have accrued leave at time of discharge, to be paid in cash.

=Title IV: Reserve Forces= - Sets active strength levels for Reserve units of the military departments.

=Title V: Civilian Personnel= - Authorizes end strength for civilian personnel in the Department of Defense of 1,031,000 for the period of October 1, 1976 through September 30, 1977.

=Title VI: Military Training Student Loands= - Authorizes average military training student loads for the military departments for the period beginning October 1, 1976 and ending September 30, 1977.

Establishes the Community College of the Air Force which shall, in cooperation with civilian colleges, prescribe programs of higher education for enlisted members of the Armed Forces to improve technical, managerial, and related skills of such members and prepare such members for military jobs requireing use of such skills.

=Title VII: Supplemental Authorization of Funds for the Navy for Fiscal Year 1976= - Authorizes additional appropriations to the Navy for fiscal year 1976 for research, development, test, and evaluation.

=Title VIII: General Provisions= - Eliminates the one-percent add-on to cost-of-living increases in military retired pay, if such add-on is repealed for civil service employees.

Makes it the policy of the United States that equipment procured for the use of Armed Forces in NATO is standardized or interoperable with equipment of other NATO members. Directs the purchase of such equipment, and authorizes the Secretary of Defense to purchase equipment outside the United States in order to implement such policy except where the equipment meets procurement objectives at the same or lower cost. Requires the Secretary to report to Congress any proposal to not comply with such policy. States the sense of the Congress that realization of such policy would be enhanced by expanded inter-Allied procurement within NATO, an requires the Secretary to negotiate toward such end.

Requires that needs of States and local governments regarding preparation for other than enemy-caused disasters be taken into account in providing Federal assistance under the Federal Civil Defense Act. Permits use of funds under this Act for emergency assistance in other than an enemy-caused disaster.

Repeals provisions of the Department of Appropriations Act of 1975 relating to exports to controlled countries of goods, technology, and industrial techniques developed by funds authorized for the Department of Defense.

Provides that during fiscal years 1977 and 1978 contracts for procurement of major weapons systems shall grant the procuring authority permission to purchase the relevant technical data and computer software.

States the sense of the Congress that the Secretary of the Navy not take any action with respect to closing any Naval Reserve Training Center or Facility which was in active use in March 1, 1976, until the authorization and appropriation legislation establishing the average strength of the Reserve in the Naval Reserve in fiscal year 1977 has been enacted into law.

Requires that prior to March 1, 1977, the Secretary of Defense shall conduct a study as to how greater utilization of civilian faculty may be accomplished in the service academies intermediate and senior war colleges.

Establishes within the Department of Defense an institute to be known as the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology. Authorizes the Institute to contract with the American Registry of Pathology for cooperative enterprises in medical research, consultation, and education between the Institute and the civilian medical profession.

Establishes a nonprofit corporation to be known as the American Registry of Pathology which shall not for any purpose be an agency of the United States Government.

Authorizes the Registry to: (1) enter into contracts with the Institute for the provision of such services and personnel as may be necessary to carry out their common purposes; (2) enter into contracts with public and private organizations for the writing, editing, and publishing of fascicles of tumor pathology, atlases, and other material; (3) enter into agreements with professional societies for the establishment and maintenance of Registries of Pathology; and (4) serve as a focus for the interchange between military and civilian pathology and encourage the participation of medical, dental, and veterinary sciences in pathology for the mutual benefit of military and civilian medicine.