Money for Navy Ship’s, Patrol aircraft and Subs…..
More Air Froce Fighter Jets, Cargo planes, Helo’s and Airborne Tankers….
More Army Ground Combat Vehicles and Helo’s…..
The Space Force and Army Special Ops take cuts…..
There IS $300M for Ukraine and $108M for Taiwan….
There IS a BIG push for drone warfare ability in response to the Ukraine/Russian combat action..
Congress passed its $825 billion defense funding bill for fiscal 2024 early this morning, missing a midnight deadline when funding was set to expire but ultimately staving off the impact of a partial government shutdown.
The defense bill — approved as part of a larger $1.2 trillion bipartisan funding package — now moves to the White House, where President Joe Biden has indicated he is ready to sign.
For the Pentagon, the bill’s passage signifies some return to normal order after having operated the first six months of the fiscal year under a continuing resolution, which keeps funding at the level of the previous year and prohibits the department from starting new programs. The FY24 defense bill adds about $27 billion compared to the FY23 enacted defense budget….
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The House on Friday passed a $1.2 trillion, six-bill budget package with $825 billion for the Defense Department, roughly $29 billion more than what Congress enacted in 2023. The bill now goes to the Senate, which must approve it by midnight Friday to avert a government shutdown.
China, Europe, and cheap drones all figure heavily in the new spending.
The legislation adds $92 million to the $9.1 billion the Department was requesting for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, as well as $108 million for greater security cooperation with Taiwan—$26 million more than the Pentagon requested. It also includes $228 million to bolster security in Eastern Europe via the Baltic Security Initiative. The legislation also includes $300 million for Ukraine via the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, and about $4.6 million for the Defense Department Inspector General to better monitor U.S. aid to Ukraine.
For the Navy, the bill includes $33.5 billion to buy eight new battle ships: two DDG-51 destroyers, two Virginia-class submarines, two frigates, one Columbia-class submarine, and one T-AO oiler. It also rejects the Navy’s proposal to divest four ships.
Appropriators also boosted the Pentagon’s aircraft buy, allocating funds for 86 F-35 fighter jets, 15 KC-46 tankers, and 24 F-15EXs.
The bill includes funds to max out production of critical munitions and fill the Pentagon’s ask for multiyear contracts for six munitions: the Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile, the Naval Strike Missile, Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System, Patriot Advanced Capability-3, the Long Range Anti-Ship Missile, and the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile.
On the Army side, the bill provides $431 million over the service’s budget request for ground combat vehicles, bringing that to $3.72 billion. It also fully funds the Army’s future vertical lift program request of $1.9 billion.
However, the spending package, cuts the Space Force’s budget to $29 billion, down about $1 billion from the service’s request. Appropriators decreased the Space Force’s procurement budget from the requested $4.7 billion to $4.1 billion, and cut research and development from $19.2 billion to $18.7 billion….