The White House has requested $813 billion for military spending
The United States Department of Defense may receive $773 billion in military spending in fiscal year 2023 (starting October 1). Together with the funds allocated to the Ministry of Energy for nuclear weapons, the total amount of US military spending may amount to $ 813.3 billion, according to the draft budget submitted by the White House on March 28.
The proposed amount of funding for the Pentagon's activities is 4.1% ($30.7 billion) more than the same indicator approved for the current fiscal year.
NEW FINANCIAL HORIZONS
According to representatives of the presidential administration, the plan provides for spending on assistance to Ukraine, on the purchase of new aircraft and nuclear deterrence. In addition, the financiers have provided enough funds to counter "the constant threats posed, in particular, by North Korea, Iran and hostile extremist organizations."
The new draft budget provides for an increase in spending on military assistance to Ukraine and other emergency needs by 2.2%, to $16.4 billion. In addition, in fiscal year 2023, the Pentagon may receive about $ 276 billion for defense research, development and procurement of new weapons and military equipment. This is the largest figure for this item of expenditure in the entire history of the United States, the military department noted.
Of this amount, $56.5 billion. It is allocated for the acquisition of aviation equipment, including fifth-generation fighters F-35 "Lightning-2" (Lightning II) and F-15EX, as well as for the further development of the promising American strategic bomber B-21 "Raider" (Raider).
$40.8 billion is planned to be spent on naval military equipment, including the purchase of nine surface ships. And $12.6 billion for ground weapons, including several types of combat vehicles.
According to the weekly "Defense News", $ 130.1 billion is allocated exclusively for defense research, as well as the development, testing and evaluation of military products in the new fiscal year, which is 9.5% more than in the previous one. These funds include $4.7 billion for the development of hypersonic weapons, $3.3 billion for microelectronics and 5G networks, and $1.3 billion for biotechnology.
THE PURSUIT OF HYPERSOUND
It should be noted that hypersonic strike weapons remain a priority area of funding in the Pentagon budget for fiscal year 2023. If in the budget for fiscal year 2022, the US Department of Defense requested about $ 3.8 billion from Congress for hypersonic weapons projects, now this amount increases to $4.7 billion.
In its budget documents for fiscal year 2023, the Pentagon said it plans to deploy hypersonic weapons as part of a five-year defense plan.
In particular, the United States expects to deploy three batteries of long-range hypersonic missiles and four medium-range batteries in the next five years. This was announced at a briefing for journalists on March 28 by a representative of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (KNSH) U.S. Armed Forces Vice Admiral Ron Boxall. "The US Department of Defense will deploy three long–range hypersonic batteries and four medium-range batteries over the next five years," the military commander said, commenting on the provisions of the draft US defense budget for fiscal year 2023.
According to the information provided by the Vice Admiral, the plans prepared by the US administration within the framework of the current budget proposals "include the deployment of hypersonic weapons on land, air and sea-based platforms." The US Army will "deploy long-range hypersonic weapons on ground batteries in 2023." And in 2025, the US Navy "will deploy hypersonic weapons in conventional equipment on board a DDG-1000 type ship," Boxall said.
According to him, the draft budget also provides for the completion of the development of a prototype hypersonic weapon under the ARRW (Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon) program and the deployment of a hypersonic air-launched cruise missile on F-15 fighter-bombers in fiscal year 2027.
As stated in a written statement by the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin, the US government would like to spend $ 7.2 billion in the next fiscal year on the development of long-range weapons, including both hypersonic and subsonic means.
CONTAINING EVERYONE IN THE WORLD
Among other things, the draft budget includes full-fledged financing of the modernization of all three branches of the nuclear triad in the amount of $ 34.4 billion. Of these, 6.3 billion is allocated for the production of new–generation Columbia-class nuclear submarines with ballistic missiles, 5 billion for the creation of a promising B–21 bomber, 3.6 billion for the development of new-generation intercontinental ballistic missiles, known as GBSD (Ground Based Strategic) strategic deterrence Deterrent). 4.8 billion is expected to be allocated for the improvement of the command posts of the nuclear forces.
The document also provides for the allocation of $6.2 billion for the European Deterrence Initiative (EDI). Of these, $300 million is intended as assistance to Ukraine "in the fight against the Russian invasion."
The Pentagon also expects to allocate $6.1 billion for a similar program in the Indo-Pacific IPDI (Indo-Pacific Deterrence Initiative), where China has been and remains the "main threat".
In addition, the US Department of Defense noted the need for public investment in maintaining sustainable supply chains. Including $3.3 billion for the microelectronics sector, 605 million for expanding the network of suppliers of hypersonic weapons and directed energy weapons, 253 million for providing "critical materials", 48 million for cast and forged products and 43 million for batteries and accumulators.
TRADITIONAL TUG OF WAR
According to Defense News, in 2021, the White House plan assumed an increase in defense spending by less than 3%. Which caused a months-long struggle between Republicans and moderate Democrats, who eventually conceded and added some amount to the total financial package for the Pentagon.
Despite the fact that the plan for next year provides for an even greater increase in US spending on military needs, the publication notes, the document is also likely to cause disputes between lawmakers.
Last week, 40 Republicans from the House of Representatives and the Senate insisted that the White House increase national defense spending by at least 5% in response to rising inflation and global threats.
Senator Roger Wicker, representing Mississippi, deputy chairman of the US Senate Armed Services Committee, yesterday called the White House plan "strategically unfounded." He expressed the opinion that Congress should make changes to it so that the country can continue to contain Russia, China and other threats.
"In order to respond to these challenges, it is very wise on the part of the top leadership of all branches of our armed forces to ask for more. More ships, more planes, more weapons, more satellites and more exercises," Wicker said. – But President Biden instead gives them less and expects them to cope with this task. This is strategically unjustified and may increase the risk of future conflicts and threats against our country."
In his March 28 statement, Joseph Biden called his administration's proposed budget plan "one of the largest investments in national defense in history." The allocated funds in it, according to the American president, are enough for the US Army to remain "the most prepared and best equipped army in the world."
Representatives of the White House noted that if the draft budget is approved, the increase in spending on defense needs in the United States over the past two years will amount to 9.8%. This will provide "the resources necessary to maintain and strengthen American deterrence mechanisms and advance vital national interests."
OLD AND NEW
Although Congress last year violated the White House's plans to write off obsolete military equipment, the presidential administration took a similar initiative this time, noting that about $2.7 billion was redistributed for these purposes.
In particular, the document provides for the write-off of 150 aircraft by the Air Force and their transfer of 100 MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicles to the balance of another department. The Navy, in turn, should, according to the White House plan, abandon 24 ships in service, 16 of which have long expired. "Last year, the Pentagon achieved some success in this activity, and the reason why the department continues to ask for funds for this purpose is the fact that the write–off of obsolete equipment is necessary," a senior military official told reporters shortly before the announcement of the draft budget.
According to the explanatory note to the document, the source of innovation is the American defense industry. "The Department of Defense at the federal level plays a crucial role in the implementation of research and development that stimulate innovation, generate valuable technologies, ensure the dominance of the United States over strategic competitors and create well–paid jobs," the document says.
The priority sector for the US budget for fiscal year 2023 should remain the financing of defense research, development, testing and evaluation aimed at creating breakthrough technologies "that stimulate innovation, support the potential of the industrial base of defense technologies, ensure US leadership in the technological field and support the development of next-generation defense capabilities."
UNFORESEEN EXPENSES
At the same time, Pentagon representatives acknowledged that the document reflects the loss of the state's purchasing power. The agency prepared its proposals for the new budget in mid–January - before the beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, as a result of which fuel prices increased.
"Sharply soaring fuel prices caused by Russia's actions in Ukraine lead to the fact that inflation continues to rise. And this is a new variable in our equation that will need to be given close attention. But it appeared after we finished working on our proposals," a senior Pentagon official said.
In fiscal year 2022, the Biden administration asked for $753 billion to be allocated for US defense and national security, but Congress eventually increased this amount to $782 billion.
An analysis conducted by the Capital Alpha Partners consulting group showed that next year representatives of the Republican Party are most likely aimed at increasing the total costs of defense and national security to $ 875 billion. "We do not exclude the possibility of an increase in this value, but the final figure will not be determined until 2023, when the allocation will be carried out," concluded the representative of the firm Byron Callan.
Nikolai Preobrazhensky
Nikolai Vasilyevich Preobrazhensky is a journalist.