Bush signs last defense bill in tenure

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush on Tuesday signed the 2009 Defense Authorization Act, probably the last defense bill he signed before leaving office next January.

The bill, worth 612 billion U.S. dollars in total, includes a host of improvements in military pay and benefits, capped by a 3.9percent pay raise.

Also in the bill is permission for the Pentagon to spend close to 70 billion dollars for ongoing military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Enactment of the bill before the November general elections could be seen as a major accomplishment for Congress, especially after the original version of the bill ran into a series of problems, including a veto of one version.