The Pentagon provided no details on the budget request, but officials said US military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan would be funded through additional requests for funds next year.

It said in a statement that the president will ask Congress to approve 401.7 billion dollars in discretionary funding authority under the 2005 defense budget request.

"This represents a seven percent increase over fiscal 2004 funding levels, after taking into account congressionally-directed recissions," the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon said the budget request would emphasize investments in systems to integrate intelligence better, readiness and training and efforts to transform US forces into one that is more adept at operating jointly.

The budget, which is due to be made public in detail February 2, comes amid a growing debate in Congress over whether the military, and the army in particular, is large enough to meet its global contingencies.

The deployment in Iraq of 123,000 troops has already strained both the army and its reserves.

But US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has resisted calls for increasing the size of the army, saying the army should find ways to manage its force better before resorting to a costly buildup of manpower that would take years to accomplish.

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