The report dated Thursday is a congressionally mandated independent assessment of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s needs, and calls for $15.3 billion in fiscal 2024, with another $71.8 billion spread out over the next four years.
The report follows a concerted push by the Pentagon in recent weeks to expand American military influence in the region. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, right, recently traveled to Manila to announce an agreement with the Philippines giving the U.S. increased access to bases there. | Jam Sta Rosa/Pool via AP Photo
03/09/2023 10:07 AM EST
https://www.politico.com/news/2023/03/09/china-pentagon-congress-budget-pacific-forces-00086284
The Pentagon is asking Congress to significantly increase funding for the U.S. military’s presence in the Pacific, signaling the Biden administration’s increasing sense of urgency toward countering China’s aggressive behavior in the region.
Alongside President Joe Biden’s budget request for next year, the Pentagon will submit a new $15.3 billion plan to fund Pacific…
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Exposing the Big Game 