The Pentagon's budget for next year includes additional funding for arms purchases and research and development. Specific figures will be proposed by US President Joe Biden.
The US Department of Defense budget for next year is reported to exceed $835 billion, one of the highest levels of funding in post-war history.
How much money will be allocated for weapons
The spending plan proposed on Thursday by President Joe Biden includes what officials say is one of the largest peacetime defense budgets: $170 billion for arms purchases and $145 billion for research and development, both record numbers.
One of the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the “ceiling” of the Defense Department's budget for the next fiscal year, beginning October 1, would exceed $835 billion, compared to the $816 billion Congress approved for the current fiscal year.
While the weapons sent to Ukraine have depleted the Pentagon's stockpile, the cost of supporting Kyiv's resistance to the Russian invasion is funded by a separate supplemental appropriation. The Defense Department's regular budget is shaped in large part by escalating tensions with China, which the Pentagon sees as a major potential rival to US military leadership.
The Pentagon's upcoming request for weapons upgrades reflects a budget that is still focused primarily on developing weapons for future wars rather than purchasing weapons for future wars. said analyst Mark Kansian.
Fighters will benefit the most from the new budget
Among the major systems that would benefit from the proposed new budget is Lockheed Martin's F-35, the most expensive US weapon system. The budget provides $13.5 billion for the purchase, further development and modernization of fighter jets.
Note that procurement plans for $170 billion are $8 billion more than Congress approved for the current fiscal year. The R&D request is approximately $5 billion in excess of the amount approved by Congress for the current fiscal year.
According to one government member, the budget also includes significant funding for long-range munitions for the air force and navy, which could be used in a potential future conflict with China.
According to Kansian, R&D demand will be the highest ever, with purchases reaching the highest levels since the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
