It’s a story as old as time. The U.S. Defense Department releases a budget cutting the U.S. military’s older systems and investing in futuristic weapons. And members of Congress, their districts at risk of losing jobs, manufacturing, and military bases, put the money back in.
That’s exactly the tussle U.S. President Joe Biden’s Pentagon budget, with a slimmer $715 billion top line and several billion dollars more in divestments, is triggering among defense officials, the uniformed services, and Congress. And depending on which lawmaker you ask, the eye-popping budget might be too much or too little–but almost nobody is saying it’s just right.
