Biden administration proposes larger defense budget to counter China, Russia

Joe Biden’s proposed fiscal year 2023 Pentagon budget includes $813 billion in spending for national defense, a 4% increase of $31 billion from the spending package signed into law earlier this month.

The Biden administration’s defense budget remains focused on China as the primary strategic challenge, with an emphasis on strengthening European security in light of the threat posed by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“If you look across the board at their capability, their economy, China remains our most challenging strategic threat. That’s what the strategy says, that’s what the budget says,” a senior defense official told reporters ahead of the budget release.

The Biden administration’s proposal includes $773 billion in funding specifically for the Pentagon in the coming year. Congress, which will ultimately set spending levels for the federal government, is likely to boost that figure higher, just as it did in the fiscal year 2022 spending package.

While the 2023 budget proposal was crafted before Russia invaded Ukraine last month, the Biden administration’s defense budget recognizes the “acute threat” posed by Russia, Defense Department budget documents say. Russia “is pursuing a political, economic and military strategy that seeks to fracture NATO,” the Pentagon said.