Russia‘s Assertive Moves Weigh on Pentagon Plans for 2017 Budget

„There will be changes“ to budget requests from the four branches of the U.S. military to emphasize threats from Russia, McCord said in an interview. He didn‘t elaborate on specific areas but said Russia‘s emergence as a sophisticated actor in cyberwarfare is one „key driver“ of the evolving U.S. strategy.

The services‘ budget proposals are being reviewed and haven‘t yet reached Defense Secretary Ashton Carter for final approval, McCord said. The fiscal 2017 budget request will be $547.3 billion, about $13 billion more than the fiscal 2016 request and about $35 billion over caps set by the the Budget Control Act, according to the Pentagon‘s most recent five-year plan.