U.S. Defense Chiefs Make The Case For A Bigger Defense Budget

DoD Buzz: Carter Blasts Spending Cuts in His First Budget Pitch to Congress

New Defense Secretary Ashton Carter pleaded with Congress Tuesday to back President Obama’s proposed fiscal 2016 defense budget that exceeds spending caps by about $38 billion.

“I not only welcome your wisdom and experience, I also want your partnership and need your help,” in ending automatic budget cuts known as sequestration, Carter said in his first testimony to Congress on the budget since replacing Chuck Hagel in the Pentagon’s top job.

WNU Editor: This is not going to be an easy sell .... there is zero interest in Congress to raise taxes.

More News On The U.S. Defense Chiefs Making The Case For A Bigger Defense Budget

In first testimony as DOD chief, Carter defends White House defense budget -- Stars and Stripes
New U.S. defense chief presses lawmakers for boost in funding -- Reuters
Carter: Budget Cuts Threaten US Interests -- Defense News
Gen. Martin Dempsey: No slack left to Defense budget -- Washington Post
Defending the World's Largest Defense Budget -- Franz-Stefan Gady, The Diplomat

The Budget For U.S. National Security Is Actually $1 Trillion For 2016

Photo: Gabriella Demczuk /New York Times

David Axe, War Is Boring: America’s Real National Security Budget — A Trillion Dollars a Year

You’ve got to count nukes, veterans and the Coast Guard

WNU Editor: The Department of Energy is responsible for a part of America's nuclear arsenal .... something that is also not in the U.S. Defense budget. So yes .... the budget for America's national security budget is far greater than what the Pentagon spends.

U.S. Defense Budget For 2016 -- News Roundup

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

This graphic, included in the Pentagon’s budget documents for fiscal 2016, was released Monday. (Defense Department image)

U.S. Defense Budget For 2016 -- News Roundup

Work: FY 16 Budget Request Targets Modernization Efforts -- US Department of Defense

Obama boosts defense spending, but faces uphill battle: Full Coverage -- Stars and Stripes
Stories about the Fiscal Year 2016 budget proposal -- Stars and Stripes
Pentagon Unveils $585 Billion Budget Request -- Defense One
White House budget: Boost for defense with cost-control caveat -- Washington Post
Here are the highlights of the Pentagon's latest budget -- Business Insider
3,500 fewer civilian Pentagon jobs, 1.3 pay raise for troops: Breaking down Obama's 2016 budget request -- Aol.com

Pentagon Spending Plan Breaks Caps, Sets Up Showdown -- WSJ
Pentagon Ignores Spending Caps in 2016 Budget -- DoD Buzz
Pentagon’s Five-Year Plan Busts Spending Caps by $155 Billion -- Bloomberg
Ignoring caps, Obama proposes big boost in defense spending -- Stars and Stripes
DoD Request Blows By Budget Caps in '16 -- Defense News
Congressman Says GOP-Led US Congress Likely to Raise Defense Budget Caps -- Sputnik

Obama’s Defense Budget Aims Higher, and at Overseas Conflicts -- New York Times
Obama proposes $51 billion in war funds -- Al Arabiya/Reuters
As U.S. faces new threats, Pentagon seeks bigger defense budget -- Reuters

Navy's $160B Proposed Budget Increases Sea Pay and Submarines -- Military.com
USN Budget Includes $10B for New Missile Sub -- Defense News
Carrier refuel, new amphib among Navy shipbuilding plans -- Stars and Stripes
US Navy Budget Request Funds Carrier GW -- Defense News
The Pentagon wants $678 million to refuel a single aircraft carrier -- Business Insider

Proposed US Defense Budget Includes $10.6Bln for F-35 Joint Strike Fighters -- Sputnik
In budget docs, Air Force again pushes to retire A-10 -- Stars and Stripes
Ayotte 'deeply disappointed' in new push to retire the A-10 -- The Hill
U.S. Air Force delays competition for ground surveillance planes -- Reuters

Army Request Emphasizes Global Presence -- Defense News
Pentagon budget 2016: US Army holds S&T funding steady -- IHS Jane's 360
Army Shrinks Force by 23K Soldiers in 2016 Budget Proposal -- Military.com

Pentagon Asks for $9.6 Bln to Counter Missile Threat From Iran, North Korea -- Sputnik
War chest: US Air Force seeks more cash to boost Iraq & Syria ops, surveillance -- RT
Obama Wants More Money for Military Spy Satellites, Lasers, Space Fence -- Defense One
Spies seek $3 billion budget boost -- The Hill
White House Adds $21B for Modernization -- Defense News
USAF Budget Funds Munitions, Keeps U-2 -- Defense News
DoD wants to grow total budget, cut personnel costs -- Military Times
Obama Proposes a 000.5% Cut in Pentagon’s 800,000 Civilian Workforce -- Fiscal Times
Budget: Obama proposes big increase in VA funding -- Stars and Stripes
Pentagon proposes new round of base closures -- The Hill
What Military Contractors Can Learn From the Pentagon’s 2016 Budget -- Marcus Weisgerber, Defense One
Pentagon Budget Headed Below 3% Of GDP As Warfighting Edge Wanes -- Loren Thompson, Forbes
The Pentagon budget gives a skewed idea of how much the US really spends on defense -- Armin Rosen, Business Insider
Obama’s Big Guns: Why Obama’s defense budget is much larger than it looks. -- Fred Kaplan, Slate
How Obama’s new defense budget looks like Reagan’s -- Dan Lamonthe, Washington Post
U.S. Military Stretched by Strategic Demands That Outpace Budget -- Bloomberg

The Pentagon Is Facing Another Round Of Budget Chaos

The Pentagon is funding social science research to model risks of "social contagions" that could damage US strategic interests. Photograph: Jason Reed/REUTERS

Jeremy Herb, Politico: The Pentagon's new fiscal cliff

“Everyone is still with the happy talk that somehow sequestration is going to go away.”

WNU Editor: The Pentagon's budget is going to be released this Monday, but already the politics is being played out on national security. The White House will approve a larger Pentagon budget if (and only if) the spending caps are removed by Congress on entitlement programs. The Pentagon in turn operates on the assumption that they will get what they want even though the law will (most likely) not be changed to remove their spending caps. From an outsider looking in .... everyone appears to be operating in an environment of denial. They expect to get what they want .... but the process to get what you will need will not be changed to accommodate your desires. The resulting gridlock then becomes predictable .... everything gets frozen with everyone looking at each other and wondering who will make the first move ... and no one will.