The White House said on March 9 that President Joe Biden is recommending a 3.2% increase in Pentagon spending, investing $842 billion for fiscal 2024, with a priority on expanding Pacific capability and nuclear modernization.
The 2024 request represents a $26 billion increase from the fiscal 2023 authorized level, according to a White House sketch of the spending plan, though complete specifics of the budget plan won’t be made public until March 13.
Two precise spending amounts for the Military budget are listed in a variety of budget fact sheets. First, the Pentagon would invest $9.1 billion in the Pacific, with an emphasis on force posture, infrastructure, presence, and readiness in addition to other initiatives to improve the capabilities of partners in the area, particularly west of the international date line. It’s a good idea to have a backup plan in case something goes wrong.
Second, $37.7 billion will be allocated in the budget for the Pentagon to use for nuclear deterrence. The budget plan maintains the nuclear triad, as well as continuing modernization projects including the B-21 Raider submarine, Ohio-class intercontinental ballistic missile Sentinel, and nuclear command, control, and communication networks.
The budget, according to the White House, will include expenditures to develop new long-range attack, submarine, hypersonic, and autonomous systems, as well as to build more resilient space architectures for sensing and communication.
The funding would pay for updating fighter, bomber, mobility, and training aircraft in addition to purchasing crewed aircraft. Moreover, it hastens the advancement of relevant autonomy and unmanned aircraft. Frank Kendall, the secretary of the U.S. Air Force, revealed on March 7 that the service intends to launch 1,000 unmanned Collaborative Combat Aircraft that will fly with 200 Next Generation Air Dominance platforms and F-35s, despite the fact that the materials released do not contain specifics.
