The Department of Defense must be prepared to keep up with our competitors. And if necessary, fight and win the next war, not the last
US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has stated.
The secretary said the budget takes into account the need to pay serious attention to China, with more than $5 billion earmarked for the “Pacific Deterrence Initiative”.
Austin said he had “issued an internal directive” that aims to “strengthen China’s deterrence, reinvigorate our network of regional allies and partners, and accelerate the development of advanced capabilities and new operational concepts”.
The minister cited “confronting Russian hostility, especially in cyberspace” as a priority in the budget.
A total of $10 billion has been earmarked for cybersecurity, cyberspace operations, and cybersecurity research and development.
The Pentagon chief said that “with the emphasis on space, missile defense … our budget will also help us confront the growing ballistic missile capabilities of countries like North Korea and Iran.”
Austin said the budget includes “investments in hypersonic weapons, artificial intelligence, microelectronics, 5G technology, space-based systems, shipbuilding and nuclear modernisation”.
He said nearly $28bn was planned for nuclear triad modernisation and $112bn for new weapons research, development and testing.