David Gilberg, VICE News: The Pentagon’s spending increase is more than Russia’s entire military budget
When Donald Trump approved a massive spending bill last week, he gave the Pentagon another $61 billion. That’s money than Russia spends on its entire military in an entire year.
The president begrudgingly signed the $1.3 trillion spending bill on Friday just hours after threatening to veto because of a lack of money for his border wall and no fix for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.
But within the 2,200-page bill,Trump was happy with at least one provision: the amount of funding for the military. At $700 billion, it’s $23 billion more than the president had requested and a whopping $61 billion more than was spent in 2017.
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Military And Intelligence News Briefs -- March 28, 2018
Mattis to Military: You Have Your Money. Spend It Wisely -- Defense One
Trump privately proposed military funding for his border wall, report says -- CNBC
Chinese Aircraft Carrier Leads Massive Drills in South China Sea -- Sputnik
Beijing just flexed its navy in the South China Sea, but in a ridiculous way that the US could quickly smoke -- Business Insider
China’s military has confirmed the Navy is testing a railgun at Sea -- Next Big Future
Japan Protests Russia's Military Flight Exercise Over Kuril Islands -- Sputnik
Switzerland names contenders in $8 billion ‘Air 2030’ program -- Defense News
Poland officially signs deal to buy Patriot from US -- Defense News
Haiti installs new high command for planned 5,000-strong army -- Reuters
WATCH: Afghan Air Force Destroys Taliban Compound With Laser-Guided Bomb -- Sputnik
Afghan Air Force Must Switch from Mi-17s to Black Hawks -- Military.com/Stars and Stripes
Is America Winning to Lose in Afghanistan? -- Nathan Jennings, RCD
Lagging US Navy F-35C Inches Toward Being a Reliable, Operational Aircraft -- Sputnik
Will Ongoing KC-46 Tanker Problems Affect KC-10 Retirement? -- Defense Tech
Trump Defense Budget Gives Boeing's Super Hornet Fighter A Big Boost -- Forbes
US Navy plans to modify 45 more Super Hornets -- Flight Global
Air Force Offers Glimpse into 6th-Gen Fighters, Future Flight Suits -- Defense Tech
Lockheed's MQ-25 Tanker Drone Looks Impressive, But It's Still Just A Paper Plane -- Warzone/The Drive
Watch military swarm drones lock on and surround a target -- Boing Boing
Watch Microwave and Laser Weapons Knock Drones Out of the Sky -- Popular Mechanics
The Navy and Marine Corps Need to Prepare for the Swarm of the Future -- David Pinion, War On The Rocks
Navy Orders 60,000 Compact Versions of Army's New Sidearm -- Kit up!/Military.com
US Army Eyes Adding Unique 40mm Cannon To Its Stryker and Bradley Armored Vehicles -- Warzone/The Drive
Army Unveils Family of Future Vertical Lift Helicopters -- Defense Tech
Surprise addition of military satellites to DoD budget irks commercial industry -- Space News
Why flying cars are the future of military transportation -- Recode
Juggling two jobs? Army Futures Command leaders won’t have to worry about that -- Defense News
Army May Extend Basic Training, Introduce New Fitness Regime -- Military.com
Vet deported because of felony says he did his time in prison, belongs back in US -- CNN
The Precarious State of Civil-Military Relations in the Age of Trump -- Lindsey P. Cohn, War On The Rocks
The U.S. Army Needs Modernized Humvees -- Dan Goure, National Interest
Send Navy Ships to the Baltic and Black Seas -- Jerry Hendrix, NRO
While an interesting footnote, context is everything when comparing budgets. The USA has to contend with Russia and China, essential peer enemies to the USA. It also must defend allies all over the planet, neither Russia nor China have that scale of obligations.
ReplyDeleteSo interesting to note, but apples to peas in reality.
...and we will use this money to build a wall...any left over will go for military needs...and Russia will pay for it
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