WASHINGTON - Expect the 2018 Trump Bump military budget request for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to contain additional defense spending for military cybersecurity, ships and submarines, munitions, and F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.
That's the word from the fiscal 2018 federal budget blueprint, released in mid-March. 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 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 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."
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 www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/omb/budget/fy2018/2018_blueprint.pdf.
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