The Trump administration is poised to ask Congress for $716 billion for defense for fiscal 2019, a major hike that budget analysts say aligns with administration’s stated goals of bulking up the military and preparing it to potentially fight near-peer rivals after years of focusing on terrorism.
“A total of $716 billion means that they are putting themselves on the trajectory for a big buildup in military power,” said Todd Harrison, a defense budget expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “The caveat, though, is to really carry out the plans that they talked about in the past, you wouldn’t just need 7 percent growth in [fiscal] '19; you would need similar levels of growth in the years following.”
President Trump came into office pledging to rebuild what he described as a “depleted” military.
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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- February 4, 2018
Former US intelligence chief says the US military has backed down North Korea before, and can do it again -- Business Insider
US Officials: Three Times More Taliban Fighters in Afghanistan Now Than in 2014 -- Sputnik
If Russia Went to War Against NATO It Might Lose For One Simple Reason -- Robert Beckhusen, National Interest
Russia's Military Cooperation Goals in Central Asia -- Dmitry Stefanovich, The Diplomat
Large Russian amphibious assault ship testing onboard helicopter complex -- TASS
Russian MP warns new US nuclear doctrine heightens arms race risk -- TASS
Russia condemns US nuclear bomb plans -- BBC
China calls on US to ditch its ‘cold war mentality’ and reduce nuclear arsenal -- SCMP
In the clear? Retired general’s return to the public eye quells rumours of graft investigation -- SCMP
Singapore ‘assures’ Taiwan that military training agreement will stay, Taipei says -- SCMP
India's military modernisation programme bogged down by bureaucrats, dysfunctional procurement processes -- Straits Times
BBC journalist ordered out of Papua over tweets that 'hurt soldiers' feelings' -- The Guardian
Turkey and NATO are growing apart -- The Economist
Mattis: US stands by NATO-ally Turkey ‘100 percent’ -- RUDAW
Norway lawmakers warn of ‘slippage’ from NATO defense spending target -- Defense News
Germany's military is falling behind, and the US is putting it on notice -- Business Insider
With Nuclear Mission in Rear-View, Options Abound for B-1B -- Military.com
The F-15 Eagle: Inside One of America's Most Deadly Fighter Jets of All Time -- National Interest
Navy commissions littoral combat ship USS Omaha -- UPI
2nd Zumwalt-class Stealth Destroyer Passes Sea Test -- AP
Air Force awards Boeing $195M contract for JDAM tail kits -- UPI
Army Aims to Build Robotic Combat Vehicle Prototypes Around 2021 -- National Defense
Pentagon Looks to Field Robotic Fighting Vehicles Sooner Rather than Later -- Sputnik
DARPA wants to identify WMD threats through genetics -- C4IRSNet
How the United States Can Get More Strategic Bang for Its Force Structure Buck -- Susanna Blume, War On The Rocks
What we know about the secret Silent Barker space program -- C4ISRNet
Reality check: Failures happen, even in missile defense testing -- David B. Larter, Defense News
Spain cracks King Ferdinand's 500-year-old secret code -- BBC
Want to Understand the Future of War? Talk to Chuck Krulak -- Tobias Naegele, Defense One/Founding editor of Marine Corps Times
