Trump wants more drones, missiles in $893bn budget request

Reuters :

US President Donald Trump wants a pay raise for troops, more high-tech missiles and drones in next year’s defence budget, while cutting Navy jobs, and buying fewer ships and fighter jets to save money, according to budget materials posted Wednesday.
At $892.6 billion, the defence and national security budget request is flat compared with this year.
The budget, which also includes nuclear weapons-related activities carried out by the Department of Energy and increases funding for homeland security, puts Trump’s mark on the military by pulling funds away from weaponry and services to fund his priorities.
The White House said the funding will be used to deter Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific, and revitalise the defence industrial base.
Most of the funding for Trump’s marquee Golden Dome missile defence shield was included in a separate budget request and is not part of the latest proposal sent to Congress.
In the 2026 budget, Trump requested fewer F-35 jets made by Lockheed Martin and only three warships. Procurement of a Virginia-class made by General Dynamics and Huntington Ingalls Industries and 15 other ships are expected to be included in a separate appropriation bill, the Navy said.
The budget asks for a 3.8 percent pay raise for troops, but also trims costs by retiring older weaponry including ships and planes that are more expensive to operate. Under the plan, the Navy will reduce its civilian employee workforce by 7,286 people.