President Trump’s 2021 budget proposal has been sent to the House Budget Committee on Monday morning and includes a 3-percent pay raise for U.S. troops.
The budget proposal requests $705.4 billion total for the Department of Defense in fiscal year 2021, and along with a pay increase for troops, the proposal also seeks increases in housing and subsistence allowances, according to a DOD release.
The proposal also requests $8 billion for military family programs, such as educational and professional development resources, childcare, youth programs, and more.
The 2020 budget previously enacted the largest pay increase in a decade with a 3.1 percent increase inside a $738 billion defense budget, of which, $704.6 billion was enacted.
“The Department made numerous hard choices to ensure that resources are directed toward the Department’s highest priorities,” a DOD statement said on Monday.
The 2021 budget proposal also includes $28.9 billion for nuclear modernization, $20.3 billion for missile defense, $15.4 billion for the new U.S. Space Force, $9.8 billion for cyberspace, $56.9 billion for 195 new aircraft, $32.3 billion for 12 new ships and vessels, $21.3 billion in munitions, $13 billion in new and upgraded vehicles, and more.
The budget proposal also allocates $55 million – an 82 percent increase – for Military Housing oversight, likely in response to the widespread housing conditions across the U.S. military.
The Department of Veterans Affairs would also see a 13 percent budget increase under the proposed budget.
“The FY 2021 budget supports the irreversible implementation of the National Defense Strategy (NDS), which drives the Department’s decision-making in reprioritizing resources and shifting investments to prepare for a potential future, high-end fight,” the DOD said.
The DOD’s portion of the budget focuses on military readiness, alliances, improved performance, and support of service members and families.
“This budget focuses on NDS priorities of nuclear deterrence recapitalization and homeland missile defense, while refining our focus on the cyber and space warfighting domains and joint enablers for all operations in all domains,” the DOD said.
Hypersonics, microelectronics, and artificial intelligence are other “critical technologies” emphasized in the budget.
