To pay for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, the Pentagon is reportedly seeking to divest some of its older equipment with higher maintenance costs. The initiative focuses on opposition to China in the Indo-Pacific and intends to improve US preparation by supporting radars, satellites, and missile systems in the region.
US President Joe Biden's $715 billion Department of Defense budget will transfer money earmarked for aging systems toward modernizing the US' nuclear weapons stockpile in order to deter China, while also expanding future military capabilities, Reuters reported on Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The budget request would reportedly fund the purchase of ships and airplanes, as well as maintenance and wages, but an extra $38 billion is set aside for defense-related programs at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Energy, and other agencies, bringing the total national security budget to $753 billion, which is a 1.7% increase above the number for 2021.
According to the report, the US Army's troop goal in the budget was cut by a small margin. Moreover, the Biden administration will reportedly request 85 stealthy F-35 fighter fighters from Lockheed Martin as part of the Pentagon's competing objectives.
Although the presidential budgets for 2021 and 2020 requested only 79 and 78 F-35 fighter airplanes, respectively, Congress ultimately approved additional jets. Senators and governors have strongly…
