Washington– US military officials on Tuesday called for spending tens of billions of dollars in the next fiscal year on drones. Air defense systems And the fighter planes that were an essential part of the fighting in the Iran War.
As part of President Donald Trump – Increase defense spending to $1.5 trillion In the 2027 budget, the Pentagon wants to triple spending on drones and related technology to more than $74 billion and invest more than $30 billion in more critical munitions, including interceptor missiles, whose stockpiles have become… Very low during the Iran war.
Military officials said the spending plan was developed before the conflict in the Middle East. They also did not discuss the amount they would ask for Additional money for the warWhich will be at the top of what the White House seeks Increase defense spending in next year’s budget.
“You’ll see the overlap is the munitions order, which is something we always need,” Jules Hurst III, acting undersecretary of defense and Pentagon comptroller, told reporters at a news conference. “We always need to increase the depth of our magazine. But outside of that, there are no operational costs here from Iran.”
The interceptors whose numbers are under the most pressure are the Patriot and High Altitude Area Defense System, or THAAD, Air defense systems. The THAAD system is designed to defeat medium-range ballistic missiles, while the Patriot system is intended to shoot down short-range ballistic missiles and manned aircraft. However, they have also been used to shoot down cheap Iranian drones.
The $30 billion budget item also aims to purchase long-range Precision Strike missiles and medium-range capable missile systems used by the US military.
The budget proposal allocates nearly $54 billion for military drones and related technology, as well as $21 billion for weapons systems designed to shoot down enemy drones.
Drones and other unmanned vehicles have emerged as a major weapon in the wars in Ukraine and Iran, and senior Pentagon officials say the United States must significantly increase its funding for both drones and counter-drone systems.
“Drone warfare is rapidly reshaping the modern battlefield,” Hirst said. “This budget is the largest investment in drone warfare and counter-drone technology in U.S. history.”
As part of the 2027 budget, the Pentagon also intends to increase the Army by 44,500 troops, or more than 2%, spend more than $2 billion on operations on the U.S.-Mexico border and place its largest shipbuilding order since 1962.