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Here are the highlights of the Pentagon's latest budget

Jeremy Bender   

Here are the highlights of the Pentagon's latest budget
Defense2 min read

Obama State Union

AP

President Barack Obama delivering the State of the Union address in 2014.

President Obama has unveiled his budget for the 2016 fiscal year. Included in this $4 trillion budget is the Pentagon's proposed budget of $585 billion for the coming year.

The Pentagon's funding proposal includes a $534.3 billion base budget that could be capped at $500 billion due to sequestration, with an additional $50.9 billion in additional war funding for Afghanistan and counterterrorism operations.

The Pentagon's proposed budget for 2016 represents a 6% increase in purchasing power from the previous year, in after-inflation dollars.

Here are a number of highlights of the Pentagon's proposed budget, according to Jeremy Herb and Austin Wright of Politico.

Naval vessel procurement

Littoral Combat Ship

Chief Mass Communication Specialist Keith DeVinney/US Navy

PACIFIC OCEAN (April 23, 2014) The littoral combat ships USS Independence (LCS 2), left, and USS Coronado (LCS 4) are underway in the Pacific Ocean

The 2016 budget dedicates $107.7 billion to the procurement of new hardware. Of that, the Navy will spend $11.6 billion in a nine-ship procurement package.

This package includes three Littoral Combat Ships, two Virginia-class attack submarines, two destroyers, an oiler, and an amphibious transport ship.

The F-35

f-35

Lockheed Martin

Two F-35B aircraft fly in formation over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in September 2013.

The multi-billion dollar F-35 program looms large in the proposed 2016 budget.

The Pentagon will request the procurement of an additional 57 F-35 fighter jets at a cost of $10.6 billion.

Air Force programs

Predator MQ-9

General Atomics

A Reaper drone in flight

Aside from the F-35, the Pentagon is requesting additional funding for its KC-46A tanker program, the development of a next-generation long-range bomber, and the procurement of additional MQ-9 Reaper drones.

All together, these programs would have a price tag slightly over $5 billion.

Increased services budgets

US Air Force 2014

1st Lt. Nathan Wallin/USAF

The U.S. Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team performs June 26, 2014, at Mount Rushmore. The Drill Team recently completed a nine-day, seven-city, 10-performance tour across the Midwest with the U.S. Air Force Band's rock ensemble Max Impact. During the tour, the two groups performed in Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming and Nebraska.

The Pentagon's budget includes an increase in the base budgets of the military services. The proposal for 2016 would see the Air Force's budget increase $16 billion to $152.9 billion, the Navy's budget would increase $11.8 to $161 billion, and the Army's budget would increase $7 billion to $126.5 billion.

Continuing the fight against terrorism

mosul air strikes isis

Stringer/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Air attacks are staged by coalition forces to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militants in Vane 30 kilometers north of Mosul, Iraq on January 20, 2015.

The 2016 budget contains funding to continue operations against terrorist networks around the world. The budget includes $5.3 billion for the continuation of Operation Inherent Resolve against ISIS in the forms of surveillance, airstrikes, and the training of Iraqi and Syrian forces.

The Department of Defense would also receive $2.1 billion to facilitate partner building exercises and carry out joint operations against terrorist networks around the world.

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