Photo: Heiko Becker/REUTERS
Outgoing US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin has proposed a radical increase in US defence spending. According to his recommendations, the US defence budget should reach one trillion dollars by 2028. The initiative was put forward in a letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget dated 27 November.
In the document, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg, Austin notes that real spending growth that outpaces inflation and sustained new investment over the next five years is needed to meet US national security needs and implement the defence strategy.
“Growing threats globally, including from China and Russia, require us to take decisive action to strengthen our defence. That’s why I’m proposing to increase funding from $926.5 billion in 2026 to more than a trillion dollars in 2028,” Austin said.
According to the plan, the defence budget for 2026 should be $50 billion more than previously estimated, and its growth will continue in the following years. Such measures, according to Austin, are intended not only to meet the needs of the US army, but also to strengthen the United States’ position in the international arena.
The Pentagon and the Office of Management and Budget have not yet provided official comments on this initiative. However, it has already sparked a lively debate among US politicians and analysts, many of whom consider such a significant increase in defence spending to be an appropriate step in light of growing global threats.
