Trump wants US$716 billion for ‘aggressive defence strategy’ in 2019 to face off with China and Russia

Following on from Defence Secretary Jim Mattis’ warnings about China, US officials say President Donald Trump is expected to ask for a massive US$716 billion (HK$5.5 trillion) in defence spending in his 2019 budget.

“That’s a huge deal,” said Mark Cancian, a defence analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), of the proposed increase. 

“It’s a big jump in defence and means that the Trump administration is putting resources against an extremely aggressive defence strategy.”

The figure is a major increase on the previous defence budget and signals a shift away from concerns about rising deficits.

The proposed budget is a victory for Mattis, who recently unveiled a strategy that proposes retooling the military to deter and, if necessary, fight a potential conflict with major powers such as China and Russia.

And it represents a setback for deficit hawks such as Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, who last year pressed for an increase in defence spending that could be offset by cuts to domestic programmes.

“If this is the number, then the battle between Mattis and Mulvaney is over and Mattis won,” Todd Harrison, director of defence budget analysis at CSIS, said of the US$716 billion figure.