"I'm excited about working with the new administration, and I think we will have opportunities to increase the armed forces in Alaska," Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, told members of the Last Frontier chapter of the Association of the United States Army on Dec. 27.

Speaking to a packed house at the James R. Lee Reserve Center on Fort Richardson, Stevens outlined the progress he and Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, made during the past 14 months in funding the military goals of Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki.

After Shinseki laid out a comprehensive plan for transforming the Army into a modern, more efficient fighting force within a total integrated force concept, Stevens said he and Inouye were able to immediately come up with another $100 million for the Army's budget. Thanks to the favorable reception Shinseki's vision got in Congress, another $700 million was added to the Army's budget during the past year, said Stevens, who is chairman of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee.

The money was used to fund interim brigades intended to validate the concepts that Shinseki brought forth, Stevens said. "It's critical that those brigades perform."

U.S. Army Alaska's successful joint training exercises with the other armed forces in Alaska has become a model for the Army as a whole, Stevens said.

"I intend to meet with the commanders in Hawaii next month and discuss the future role of the armed forces in our state," he said.

The senator said a new vision will emerge from the strong team of Bush Cabinet members concerned with America's defense and national security.

"(National Security Adviser-designate) Candy (Condoleezza) Rice is one of the smartest young people I've ever met, and I think (Vice President-elect) Dick Cheney and (Secretary of State-designate) Colin Powell will be a tremendous force for modernization and determining what should be done," Stevens said. "The new vision means those of us who represent Alaska and Hawaii should see to it that our offshore states reach their full potential.

"Don't let people worry you about a 50-50 split in the Senate," he advised. "Senator Inouye and I have worked together for 32 years on defense matters. These are not partisan issues."

Stevens said he and Inouye, who also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, still believe that the most valuable portion of the military is its people and they will continue to work to improve the lifestyles and opportunities available to military members.

In other matters, Stevens said he will continue to push for legislation that would enable West Coast polls to close at the same time as those back East; ensure that ballots of military personnel serving overseas are counted; provide some type of testing of election machines; and consider whether recounts can cover only a portion of a state in a statewide election.

Since Congress has approved and funded the National Missile Defense program, "the question now is what do we build and when," the senator said.

"We have money in the budget to build the radar at Shemya, and I will urge the release of those funds to start that process," he said.

Though airlift capability in Alaska is decreasing in that the Air Force will be flying C-17s only in the state in six years, Stevens said a buildup of military forces here should not be ruled out.

"If there's a unification of North and South Korea, we will see a draw-down of our forces in Korea," he said. "We will be bringing them back to Alaska and Hawaii."

Stevens noted that F-15 aircraft now stationed at Elmendorf Air Force in Anchorage were originally intended for Korea, but the Pentagon didn't want to put the new equipment in Korea.

As for Alaskans joining the Bush Cabinet, Stevens said Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, was briefly considered during his talks with the president-elect's transition team.

"But Don is needed in the Congress, and no one else has been mentioned. I know Governor Knowles' name has come up here in Alaska, but I haven't talked to President-elect Bush or his transition team about him."

Stevens said the state's interests would be best served by getting an appointment to an under-secretary or assistant secretary position.

Bush announced Dec. 29 that he has picked Anthony J. Principi, a former aide to Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, to head the Department of Veterans Affairs. Principi served as deputy secretary of the Cabinet-level Department of Veterans Affairs in 1989 and as acting Secretary of Veterans Affairs in 1992. Principi also served as Murkowski's staff director when the senator chaired the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs from 1984-86.