WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States should increase its defense spending to $577 billion in 2016, US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain said in a statement on Monday.
“I am working together with many of my colleagues on a proposal to increase defense spending for FY16 and FY17 above the President’s Budget Request,” McCain said in the statement. “The goal should be… $577 billion of defense discretionary budget authority for FY16.”
McCain noted that defense spending cuts, or sequestration, are putting US national security at an unacceptable level of risk.
“All of our senior military leaders have testified to Congress this year that if defense spending remains at sequestration levels, they cannot implement the National Military Strategy, and it will put Americans’ lives at risk,” McCain said.
In February, US Army Secretary John McHugh said that sequestration would decrease the amount of active duty soldiers from 500,000 to 420,000 and will reduce US Army’s readiness.
The Defense Department said it stays in line with the 2011 US Budget Control Act introduced to reduce the US deficit and implement automatic budget sequestration.
