WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representative Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, today issued the following statement after the Biden-Harris Administration released its Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) defense budget.
“The President’s FY22 defense budget reflects the Administration’s clear emphasis on China and Russia as key national security challenges, with China being the pacing challenge. To do so, the budget rightly focuses on partners and allies and ensures that the Armed Forces continue to make improvements to military readiness while investing in the research, development, and acquisition of systems and technologies needed to address strategic competition.
“The safety and the security of the American people depend on wise investments in national security that are aligned with realistic resources and talent to support our strategic defense objectives. This budget addresses underperforming acquisition programs with unsustainable costs, adjusts funding to meet our overseas posture and operations needs, and divests in systems that lack the requisite capabilities so that we can invest in the emerging technologies needed to fight in the future security environment. Planning for funding in the base budget, as this request does, represents an important budgetary reform that supports transparency, fiscal discipline, and sound and predictable defense planning.
“As I’ve said before, the strategy behind how the Department spends the money is much more important than how much money is allocated. I look forward to thorough bipartisan hearings and discussions with DoD leadership on the budget request to better understand how the interim National Security Strategic Guidance and the Administration’s policies shaped this budget request as we construct this year’s National Defense Authorization Act.”
“The President’s FY22 defense budget reflects the Administration’s clear emphasis on China and Russia as key national security challenges, with China being the pacing challenge. To do so, the budget rightly focuses on partners and allies and ensures that the Armed Forces continue to make improvements to military readiness while investing in the research, development, and acquisition of systems and technologies needed to address strategic competition.
“The safety and the security of the American people depend on wise investments in national security that are aligned with realistic resources and talent to support our strategic defense objectives. This budget addresses underperforming acquisition programs with unsustainable costs, adjusts funding to meet our overseas posture and operations needs, and divests in systems that lack the requisite capabilities so that we can invest in the emerging technologies needed to fight in the future security environment. Planning for funding in the base budget, as this request does, represents an important budgetary reform that supports transparency, fiscal discipline, and sound and predictable defense planning.
“As I’ve said before, the strategy behind how the Department spends the money is much more important than how much money is allocated. I look forward to thorough bipartisan hearings and discussions with DoD leadership on the budget request to better understand how the interim National Security Strategic Guidance and the Administration’s policies shaped this budget request as we construct this year’s National Defense Authorization Act.”
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