Ann Jang is a staff reporter at The Diplomat.
This article was reported in collaboration with AP.
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A little-noticed provision in the Pentagon’s budget could pave the way for billions of dollars more to be spent on wars around the world – potentially leaving Americans footing a larger and larger bill.
The budget document, released by the administration’s Office of Management and Budget and obtained by The Associated Press, details the potential spending increases.
Those increases would account for the growing trend of U.S. military spending that has kept pace with the Pentagon’s military budget during the first five years that President Barack Obama has been president.
While Obama has proposed a smaller increase in military spending than the Republican-controlled Congress, the overall defense budget is set to grow by 8.6 percent and total defense spending could more than double to $561 billion by fiscal year 2019 through Sept. 30. Defense advocates, who warned that growth could cause the military to strain, welcomed the proposed increases as a way to keep pace with the Pentagon’s more aggressive plans.
The AP reported the president’s proposed spending increases, which will be implemented in his proposed $500 billion FY 2018 budget when Congress returns to Washington in January. The Trump administration did not respond to requests for comment but the AP reported that the budget includes “approximately $1.4 billion in additional spending for a newly approved missile defense program that critics say could undermine the missile shield the U.S. has relied on for decades against short, medium and intermediate range ballistic missiles.”
A Defense Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the budget discussions without having to publicly defend them, said the administration is looking for “more efficient programs and investments” in areas such as programs on cyber security and information operations.
“We are also going to take a look at programs elsewhere in the federal government to find efficiencies and make sure the necessary investments are put into place or not,” said the official. “We are looking to make sure that everything is running at its peak efficiency across the federal government.”
The official also noted that the administration and the defense department have been “inactive” on the “DOD budget cycle” – something the AP reported as a possible signal that the Trump administration may not want to continue the “fiscal hawks” who want an increase in spending.
Military spending accounts for about a fifth of federal spending.