Key points
- Austin has suggested leaving Trump’s administration a defence plan
- Suggested a boost in defence spending by around $50b
ISLAMABAD: In an effort to increase the defence budget, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has suggested a boost in defence spending by around $50 billion more than the current 2026 projections, a step that could push the defence budget of the US beyond $1 trillion in the next years, according to Bloomberg News.
The news outlet reported that in a November 27 letter to the Office of Management and Budget, Austin suggested leaving President-elect Trump’s incoming administration a proposed five-year defence plan that starts with $926.5 billion in fiscal 2026, compared with a projected $876.8 billion.
Reuters news agency reported that the Pentagon and the Office of Management and Budget did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Biden’s 2025 defence
“I have not wavered in my assessment that meeting the demands of our strategy requires real growth” above inflation “and sustained new investments in fiscal years 2026-2030,” Austin wrote in the letter, Bloomberg reported.
President Joe Biden’s 2025 defence and national security budget request released in March last year, was one per cent higher than the last year, owing to a two-year budget agreement struck in mid-2023 that limited the budget to a 1 percent increase, according to Reuters news agency.
The letter also suggested spending of $972.8 billion in the fiscal year 2027, and more than $1 trillion in the fiscal year 2028, according to the Bloomberg, saying that the spending would extend beyond $1 trillion in financial years 2029 and 2030.
Reuters news agency reported that there was no immediate clarity on whether Donald Trump would take up the idea suggested by Austin.
