The United States Department of Defense recently proposed an impressive $842 billion budget for fiscal 2024, which includes a significant $30.6 billion for missiles and munitions. This increased funding in response to the aggressive actions of Russia, China and Iran is mainly used to allow defense companies to manufacture weapons in bulk, providing a steady demand for production over several years. Of the $30.6 billion allocated, $17.1 billion is for tactical missiles, $7.3 billion is for strategic missiles, $5.6 billion is for ammunition and $600 million is for technology development.
Meanwhile, the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia has resulted in heavy losses on both sides. Ukraine has seen an estimated 120,000 of its soldiers killed or wounded, while Russia has 200,000 casualties. The armed forces of Ukraine have been weakened due to the high casualties and lack of ammunition, and have sought support from the United States and Britain to train their troops and provide them with the necessary equipment. To this end, the U.S. has made it up to its own countries and NGOs. Training Ukrainian forces in combined-arms warfare is UK is training 10,000 Ukrainian recruits in 2021 and 20,000 in 2022 and European Union training 30,000 Ukrainians in 2023. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declared 2023 as “the year of victory” for Ukraine and the U.S. Officials are expecting a Ukrainian counteroffensive to start soon.
The US In the Budget of the Department of Defense, the Department also proposes a 5.2 percent increase in pay for the U.S. The largest military pay increase since 2002 and the largest civilian pay increase in 40 years if enacted. This, along with the increased funding for missiles and munitions, is a testament to the United States commitment to maintaining the security of the nation and its allies.