Thursday, February 15, 2018

U.S. : Department of Defense 2019 Budget Proposal

(Washington) President Trump has sent Congress a proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 budget request of $716 billion for national security, $686 billion of which is for the Department of Defence.  The National Defence Strategy, which aligns with the National Security Strategy, connects strategy to the FY 2019 budget priorities, enabling the Department to compete, deter, and win.  This establishes a foundation for rebuilding the U.S. military into a more capable, lethal, and ready Joint Force.   The objectives of the Department are

“To be prepared to defend the homeland, remain the pre-eminent military power in the world, ensure the balances of power remain in our favour, and advance an international order that is most conducive to our security and prosperity.”
So the question which a lot of people are asking is what has he ordered for 2019:
Aircraft
77 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters 
15 KC-46 Tanker Replacements 
24 F/A-18s 
60 AH-64E Attack Helicopters
6 VH-92 Presidential Helicopters 
10 P-8A Aircraft  
8 CH-53K King Stallion 

Shipbuilding
2 Virginia Class Submarines 
3 DDG-51 Arleigh Burke Destroyers 
CVN-78 Class Aircraft Carrier 
   
Ground Systems
30 Amphibious Combat Vehicles 
197 Armoured Multi-Purpose Vehicles 


The National Defence Strategy also notes the importance of prioritizing “investments in resilience, reconstitution, and operations to assure our space capabilities.”  Our space investments include:

5 Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicles
Global Positioning System
Space Based Infrared System 

Highlighting the importance of missile defence programs, the National Defence Strategy calls for investments that will “focus on layered missile defences and disruptive capabilities for both theatre missile threats and North Korean ballistic missile threats.”  Those investments for FY 2019 include:

43 AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defence (SM-3) 
Ground Based Midcourse Defence 
82 THAAD Ballistic Missile Defence 
240 Patriot Advanced Capability (PAC-3) Missile Segment Enhancements