According to the outlet, the Pentagon is looking to use the additional funds for 2023 to modernize the military, with “top line” spending focused on salaries, tanks, and other priorities such as shipbuilding and jets.
The sources also said the White House and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are “more or less on par” with the requested amount, and that the budget “would benefit the biggest U.S. defense contractors including Lockheed, Northrup Grumman Corp and General Dynamics Corp.”
The $778 billion defense budget for fiscal year 2022 accounts for around 3.7% of U.S. gross domestic product and 39% of total military spending globally.
The second-highest spender on defense is China at 13% with an estimated expenditure of $252 billion, at roughly 1.7% of GDP, according to data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.