Top Pentagon leaders told lawmakers Thursday that they believe this year's proposed defense budget is ample to accomplish the department's goals for the coming year.

President Joe Biden's full budget request won't be public until Friday, but a press release issued by the Department of Defense Thursday said it's expected to contain $715 billion in funding for the department.

Both Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley told lawmakers the funding was sufficient for the department's needs and suited its priorities.

"This budget provides us the ability to create the right mix of capabilities to defend this nation and to deter any aggressors," Austin said during testimony before the House Appropriations Committee's subcommittee on defense.

Austin said the budget includes investments in hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence, microelectronics, 5G technology, cyber capabilities, shipbuilding and nuclear modernization -- as well as climate change mitigation and preparation for a future pandemic.

The budget also includes funding to resist Russian cyberattacks, counter threats from countries like North Korea and Iran and maintain troop presence in the Middle East and South Asia.

"It strikes an appropriate balance between preserving present readiness and future modernization," Milley said, adding that it is "biased towards [the] future operating environment."

According to Milley, it's particularly important for the United States fund modernization and advanced technologies like hypersonics and artificial intelligence.

He cautioned that China is "investing heavily" in high-tech defense capabilities, and the U.S. needs to do so as well.

Milley also told lawmakers the National Defense Strategy produced under former President Donald Trump's administration "needs to be updated," though some major pieces of strategy are the same.

The $715 billion ask is slightly lower than the fiscal 2021 budget of $740 billion that passed in December despite a veto from Trump.

He objected in part because he'd asked lawmakers to include language repeal of Section 230 of the Communication Decency Act, which protects technology companies from being liable for content published on their platforms.

Also Thursday, Austin told lawmakers that the drawdown of troops from Afghanistan is "proceeding on pace, indeed slightly ahead of it."

Related Links
The Military Industrial Complex at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

GAO report: Lack of data causing delays in military spare parts contracts
Washington DC (UPI) May 26, 2021
A lack of pricing data is slowing Defense Department contract awards, a Government Accountability Office report released on Wednesday indicates. The 31-page report focuses on sole-source spare parts used on military vehicles, ships, aircraft and systems, and notes that the Pentagon relies on cost information provided by contractors to determine prices. In one case, the report cites a contract reviewed by the GAO that was delayed by over three years because adequate cost information was n ... read more