President Bush has proposed a record United States defense budget for 2007 -- more than $439 billion. That figure does not include the tens-of-billions of dollars in expected costs for U.S. operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Bush administration funds the Iraq and Afghanistan deployments through separate legislation. Some members of Congress have complained bitterly about that, saying it hides the true costs of the wars.
The proposed defense expenditure for 2007 is heavy on investments in equipment and training designed to counter terrorism and irregular warfare. For instance, it calls for a 15-percent increase in the number of U.S. special forces. Also, it includes significant funding for language training and production of more unmanned aerial and ground vehicles.
But the budget also would preserve expensive weapons systems designed to counter conventional threats from well-armed countries. That is likely to face criticism on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are increasingly upset over the nation's budget deficit, and proposed cuts in domestic programs. In a Pentagon briefing on Monday, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld defended that aspect of the budget plan. The threat posed by large armies, he said, has not gone away.
"And the kinds of capabilities that are necessary to continue to see that they are deterred and dissuaded require investment," Rumsfeld said.
This budget also would increase funds to improve the lives of the nation's all-volunteer military. It calls for a 2.2 percent increase in basic military pay, and provides more funds to improve housing for military personnel and their families.
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