President’s FY23 Budget Request Includes $773B for DOD; Lloyd Austin Quoted

President Joe Biden’s fiscal year 2023 budget request includes $773 billion in defense spending and Lloyd Austin, secretary of the Department of Defense and a 2022 Wash100 Award recipient, said the proposed DOD budget would help the Pentagon advance integrated deterrence, carry out operations aligned with priorities and modernize the Joint Force.

The proposed DOD budget reflects a 4.1 percent increase from the enacted funding for FY 2022 and includes a 4.6 percent pay raise for service members and civilian employees, DOD said Monday.

The defense budget proposal includes $34.4 billion for the modernization of the nuclear enterprise. Investments include $6.3 billion for the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines; $5 billion for the B-21 Long Range Strike bomber; $3.6 billion for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program; and $1 billion for the long-range stand-off missile.

The request covers $11 billion to buy 61 F-35 Joint Strike Fighter jets and $2.8 billion to procure 24 F-15EX aircraft.

The administration also proposed $27.6 billion in funding for space-based systems, $7.2 billion for long range fires and $24.7 billion for missile defense initiatives, including $2.6 billion for the Ground-Based Midcourse and Next Generation Interceptor programs.

“Our budget reflects our National Defense Strategy and the focus of that strategy on the pacing challenge of China,” said Austin.

He noted that the requested budget would also enable DOD to maintain readiness and deterrent posture against threats posed by Russia, Iran, North Korea and extremist organizations and address climate change-related challenges.

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