Quick access to main page (top) Direct access to main contents Quick access to main page (bottom)

Biden Submits Defense Budget to Congress, Prioritizing Deterrence Against China

Daniel Kim Views  

美, 허리띠 조이면서 中견제 국방예산은 늘렸다
A sky view of the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon)/AP United News

The Biden administration has compiled next year’s defense budget, which includes plans to swiftly provide weapons to Taiwan in the same manner as it supported Ukraine and to invest heavily in anti-ship missiles in preparation for naval warfare with China. Despite the austerity budget trend due to astronomical fiscal deficits, it conveys a message to deter China’s military expansion. The U.S. intelligence agencies have assessed that China can directly compete with the U.S. and is becoming more aggressive and unpredictable due to the impact of economic stagnation.

President Biden submitted a “Fiscal Year 2025 Defense Budget” at $895 billion to Congress today. This budget is 1% higher than last year, making it a negative budget considering the inflation rate. The budget increase rate remaining at 1% is due to a deal with the Republicans to increase the debt limit to prevent a federal government shutdown last year, on the condition that the 2025 budget would only be increased by a maximum of 1%.

However, the budget for deterring China, such as strengthening deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region and supporting Taiwan, has either increased or been newly allocated compared to last year. Also, they decided to maintain military superiority over China by accelerating the modernization projects of three major nuclear forces, such as intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), strategic bombers, and nuclear submarines. Bloomberg News evaluated this defense budget as “a subtle strategic message aimed at China.”

In particular, for the first time, a budget of $500 million for Taiwan was included via the Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), and the U.S. Department of Defense explained that it was “to respond to aggression in this region and guarantee continuous support for alliances.” The PDA is a method used dozens of times to support Ukraine, which allows for rapid security support to other countries using the U.S. weapons stockpile without congressional approval in emergencies. The U.S. provided weapons to Taiwan for the first time last year using the PDA, and China strongly objected at the time, saying it would “turn Taiwan into an arsenal.”

A plan to expand anti-ship capabilities to eliminate threats to U.S. forces at sea was also included. The U.S. Navy is developing the Maritime Strike Tomahawk, launched from submarines, in collaboration with major defense industry companies such as Lockheed Martin and RTX, and it is significant to deploy it quickly. The U.S. Army also announced plans to conduct two more training sessions in the Indo-Pacific region than last year, totaling 11 sessions. Next year’s defense budget also allocated $9.9 billion to the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) for Guam defense support, an increase of $800 million from the record high of the 2024 fiscal year ($9.1 billion).

Meanwhile, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), which oversees U.S. intelligence agencies, predicted in its annual threat assessment report released on the same day that “Taiwan is an important point of conflict between the U.S. and China, and China will use stronger means in response to the increased U.S. support for Taiwan.” The DNI also expressed concern that China will intensify pressure on Southeast Asian neighboring countries and Japan in the South China Sea and East China Sea through naval power enhancement. Regarding the People’s Liberation Army of China, it assessed that “it is trying to transform into a world-class military but lacks combat experience.”

Daniel Kim
content@viewusglobal.com

Comments0

300

Comments0

[WORLD] Latest Stories

  • China Targets U.S. Tech Industry with Rare Earth Export Freeze
  • Porsche Taycan GTS Breaks Guinness Record with 10.9-Mile Ice Drift
  • Africa's MPOX Variant Clade 1b Reaches France: Health Officials Take Action
  • LA Wildfires’ Economic Toll Hits $50 Billion, Doubling Early Estimates
  • Real Reason Trump Wants Greenland and the Panama Canal: Geopolitical Dominance
  • Biden Targets China, Russia with New Semiconductor Export Limits

You May Also Like

  • 1
    Fake Beer, Real Buzz? What to Know Before You Sip That Zero-Proof Brew

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 2
    Trump Drops 20 Pounds but Still Loves His Fast Food

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 3
    New Blood Test Could Spot Alzheimer’s Early—With 92% Accuracy

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 4
    Study Finds Link Between Irregular Heartbeat and Early Dementia

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 5
    Not Just Old Age: The Pneumonia That Affected Pope Francis’ Final Years

    LATEST 

Popular Now

  • 1
    This Common Vaccine May Help Protect Against Memory Loss

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 2
    Lilly’s Weight-Loss Pill Looks Strong in Trials—Ozempic’s Reign in Jeopardy?

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 3
    Why Do My Eyes Look Bruised for No Reason? Here’s What Could Be Going On

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 4
    This Common Travel Outfit Could Melt Onto Your Skin in a Fire

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 5
    New Research Links These Grocery Store Staples to Type 2 Diabetes

    LIFESTYLE 

Must-Reads

  • 1
    Fake Beer, Real Buzz? What to Know Before You Sip That Zero-Proof Brew

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 2
    Trump Drops 20 Pounds but Still Loves His Fast Food

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 3
    New Blood Test Could Spot Alzheimer’s Early—With 92% Accuracy

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 4
    Study Finds Link Between Irregular Heartbeat and Early Dementia

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 5
    Not Just Old Age: The Pneumonia That Affected Pope Francis’ Final Years

    LATEST 

Popular Now

  • 1
    This Common Vaccine May Help Protect Against Memory Loss

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 2
    Lilly’s Weight-Loss Pill Looks Strong in Trials—Ozempic’s Reign in Jeopardy?

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 3
    Why Do My Eyes Look Bruised for No Reason? Here’s What Could Be Going On

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 4
    This Common Travel Outfit Could Melt Onto Your Skin in a Fire

    LIFESTYLE 

  • 5
    New Research Links These Grocery Store Staples to Type 2 Diabetes

    LIFESTYLE 

Share it on...