“If you look at their capabilities, their economy in general, China remains our most challenging strategic threat. That’s what strategy says, this is what the budget says,” a senior defense official told reporters ahead of the budget announcement. The Biden administration’s proposal includes $ 773 billion in funding for the Pentagon next year. Congress, which will eventually set spending levels for the federal government, is likely to raise that figure higher, as it did in the 2022 spending package. Republicans were quick to respond to the Pentagon’s budget increase, arguing that it was not enough for the US military in the face of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s military investment. The Liberal Democrats, however, criticized the Biden administration for not increasing its defense budget at all. While the 2023 budget proposal was drafted before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last month, the Biden government’s defense budget acknowledges the “acute threat” posed by Russia, according to Defense Ministry budget documents. Russia is “pursuing a political, economic and military strategy that seeks to break NATO,” the Pentagon said. The defense budget includes $ 6.9 billion in funding for a European Deterrence Initiative aimed at tackling Russian aggression and supporting Ukraine – funding that the White House cited in a newsletter outlining its full budget proposal. In the spending bill for fiscal year 2022, which was approved last month, Congress approved a $ 13.6 billion additional funding bill to provide security assistance to Ukraine and supply Ukraine with weapons. It is almost impossible to estimate how long the war between Russia and Ukraine will last, making it extremely difficult to know whether the US will provide more security assistance in Kyiv. The United States has added thousands of troops to Eastern Europe in interim deployments to bolster NATO’s east side. “The difficult question is whether this will last for a short or long time,” the official said. “I would say for sure that there may be a complementary one for Ukraine.” Additional security assistance bills for Ukraine would also require congressional action. Pentagon inspector Michael McCord suggested to reporters Monday that an additional supplement to Ukraine was possible later this year.
Modernization of the army
Total US Army troop levels are expected to drop by 3,000. The U.S. Navy is proposing to decommission 24 ships, including nine coastal warships and five cruisers. Coastal warships have faced many years of problems, including repeated damage and questions about their limited armament. The ships were hailed as part of a US deterrent against China, as they were designed to operate in shallow waters such as the South China Sea. But the decommissioning of so many in one year seems to be a recognition that expensive surface fighters did not live up to expectations. And in the air, the Pentagon plans to buy only 61 F-35 aircraft, compared to 85 purchased last year. The Air Force is also proposing the withdrawal of A-10 attack aircraft and F-22 fighter jets. All of these plans are likely to be repulsed by Congress, which has repeatedly resisted cuts that would hurt arms suppliers based in areas or bases and shipyards that could shrink if planes and ships were removed. The defense official said the proposed increased budget was not intended to increase the size of the US military, but rather to help it modernize to compete with Russia and China. Many of the department’s programs, even if not specifically for Russia or China, address challenges posed by both countries, the official said. This includes investments such as space, cyberspace and the industrial base. “Growth on the front line is not about the biggest force,” the official said. “It is about modernizing the force to compete with our almost equal rivals.” However, the proposed budget includes $ 6.1 billion in funding to prevent the Pacific, including strengthening Guam’s defenses and a new missile warning and surveillance architecture. The Pentagon said its budget “prioritizes China as a major rhythm challenge while developing capabilities and business ideas in the Indo-Pacific.” Inflation posed its own challenge to the Ministry of Defense budget, even when the request was finalized before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, fuel prices soared. “We did the best we could, as at some point you have to cut the chalk line and finish with what you know at the moment,” the official said. “Inflation in the future, based on the impact of Russia on rising fuel prices in Ukraine – this is a new variable that needs to be addressed.”
The largest budget for research and procurement
With an emphasis on military modernization, the budget request includes the largest investment ever in $ 276 billion in procurement, research and development. The Ministry of Defense’s focus on creating “integrated deterrence” requires the modernization of the army in all areas of war: air, land, sea, cyberspace and space. The budget requires $ 56.6 billion to purchase F-35 and F-15EX fighter jets, while the military is developing B-21 bombers and drones. At sea, the budget requires $ 40.8 billion to build eight warship fleet ships, including nuclear-powered ballistic missiles. The budget request also has $ 12.6 billion to modernize Army and Marine Corps combat equipment. Beyond the battlefield, the budget request includes $ 479 million to implement the recommendations of the Pentagon’s Independent Review Committee on Sexual Assault, one of the top priorities for Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin when he took office. The budget would also provide for a 4.6% pay rise for both military and civil servants, which the administration cited as the biggest pay rise in two decades. And it extends the department’s commitment to preparing for climate change, including a $ 3.1 billion investment request designed to “lay the groundwork for a more capable future.” The budget requested also included a flexible $ 1 billion fund to manage the fuel leak response at the Red Hill Bulk Fuel Storage Facility in Hawaii. Austin announced in early March that it had decided to close the facility after an oil spill contaminated the water. About one million people rely on water facilities. The official described the amount as “more than an advance”, while acknowledging the challenge in predicting exactly how much money will be needed to deal with the facility, especially with ongoing litigation.
