US Budget Outline Calls For Huge Pentagon Increase, Cuts To State

Washington, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Feb, 2018 ) :The Pentagon on Monday unveiled a mammoth budget proposal for fiscal 2019 that would see a more than 10 percent boost in spending and add thousands more troops across the US military services.

The $686 billion spending plan -- up from $612 billion in 2018 -- is framed in the context of the Pentagon's new national defense strategy, and comes in stark contrast to the State Department's budget, which calls for steep cuts in spending on aid and diplomacy.

Pentagon chief Jim Mattis has warned of a new "Great Power" competition with Russia and China and wants to increase the size of the military, introduce new ships and weapons, and improve readiness -- all while operating across multiple theaters in Europe, the middle East and Asia.

"It is increasingly apparent that China and Russia want to shape a world consistent with their authoritarian values and, in the process, replace the free and open order that has enabled global security and prosperity since World War II," Pentagon comptroller David Norquist told reporters.

"If unaddressed, the eroding US military advantage versus China and Russia could undermine our ability to deter aggression and coercion in key strategic regions." Though the US spends more money on defense than the next eight militaries combined, Norquist said the 2019 budget request merely would put Pentagon spending back on track to where it would have been had the administration of Barack Obama not implemented strict spending caps.

The budget from President Donald Trump's administration calls for an additional 25,900 troops, as well as major investments in aircraft, ships, ground systems and missile defense.