Trump Bump defense spending increase to add $54 billion to U.S. military budget, blueprint says
WASHINGTON – Expect the upcoming 2018 Trump Bumpmilitary budget request for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to contain additional defense spending for military cyber security, ships and submarines, munitions, and F-35 joint strike fighters.
That's the word from the fiscal 2018 federal budget blueprint, released today. The blueprint is an outline of budget priorities that will be fleshed-out for the Trump Administration's formal budget request to Congress, which is expected in May.
The two-page blueprint for DOD calls for repeals of defense sequestration by restoring $52 billion to the DOD budget, as well as $2 billion to other national-defense programs outside of DOD, for a $54 billion total increase in defense spending over current levels.
"The President’s 2018 Budget requests $639 billion for DOD, a $52 billion increase from the 2017 annualized CR level," the blueprint states. "The total includes $574 billion for the base budget, a 10 percent increase from the 2017 annualized CR [continuing resolution} level, and $65 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations."
Related: Donald Trump to propose $54 billion increase in military spending
The blueprint also claims the projected additions to the defense budget would be "one of the largest one-year DOD increases in American history."
The blueprint promises more money to fight ISIS terrorism, and seeks to address urgent warfighting readiness needs. It addresses "pressing shortfalls, such as insufficient stocks of critical munitions, personnel gaps, deferred maintenance and modernization, cyber vulnerabilities, and degraded facilities."
The document also promises a "new National Defense Strategy that recognizes the need for American superiority not only on land, at sea, in the air, and in space, but also in cyberspace," and contains a promise "to reduce the costs of military programs wherever feasible."
The U.S. Army would see an end to strength personnel and materiel reductions, takes an "initial step toward restoring an Army that has been stressed by high operational demand and constrained funding levels in recent years."
Related: Key U.S. lawmaker calls Trump defense budget request low
As for the U.S. Navy, the 2018 budget will increase the total number of ships, and "reflects a down payment on the President’s commitment to expanding the fleet."
The blueprint promises to accelerate U.S. Air Force efforts to improve tactical air fleet readiness, ensure technical superiority, and repair aging infrastructure.
"Key investments in maintenance capacity, training systems, and additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters would enable the Air Force, which is now the smallest it has been in history, to counter the growing number of complex threats from sophisticated state actors and transnational terrorist groups," the blueprint states.
A .pdf copy of the America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again document is available online at https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/budget/fy2018/2018_blueprint.pdf.
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John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
