Baku-APA. The US Defense Secretary has announced a change in military spending priorities to address five big challenges. It includes more support for NATO allies in Europe and more spending on advanced weapons, APA reports qoting the AP.
US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the Pentagon is to reshape its spending priorities for next year to reflect a new strategic environment marked by Russian assertiveness and the rise of the self-declared 'Islamic State' (IS), among five big challenges.
"We're reinforcing our posture in Europe to support our NATO allies in the face of Russia's aggression," Carter said. "That'll fund a lot of things. More rotational US forces in Europe, more training and exercises with our allies, more prepositioned warfighting gear, and infrastructure improvements to support it."
Carter's proposal would allow the US to send more troops to Europe for short-term deployments and provide additional equipment and improve facilities so that more forces could be accommodated.
Speaking to the Economic Club of Washington, Carter said on Tuesday the Pentagon would seek a $582.7 billion (534 billion-euro) defense budget. It will include $3.4 billion for the Pentagon's European Reassurance Initiative. That represents a four-fold increase from the $789 million for the current budget year.
"We must demonstrate to potential foes that if they start a war, we have the capability to win," Carter said.
Follow us on Telegram
t.me/apanewsaz
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on X
