US President Joe Biden’s newly proposed $6 trillion budget includes an allocation for the Department of Defense valued at $715 billion. The new figure marks a 2.7% rise in pay for its troops. 

Moreover, it engulfs a substantial change in the finances diverted towards older systems. Modernisation of the country’s nuclear capabilities, to deter China, seems to have been prioritised, reported Reuters.

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The new proposal, which is likely to influence Pentagon’s policies for the 2022 fiscal year, will focus on areas like nuclear weapons technology, troop readiness, space and developing the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, which seeks to counter military threats from China.

With the national security budget getting a potential 1.7% boost from the preceding year, an additional $38 billion have been diverted towards defense-related programmes in federal agencies like the Department of Energy and Federal Bureau of Investigation. A separate amount has been allocated for building the defense capabilities of US through purchasing jets and warships, according to reports from Reuters.

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As the Pentagon seeks to counter China and Russia, which have shared strained relations with US, the budget will also put in money for developing and testing hypersonic weaponry.

The total divestment from the navy, airforce and army would be $2.8 according to the proposed budget. This is being done to balance load from other increased expenses, reported Reuters.