Trump pledges even bigger US military, declaring ‘nobody’s going to mess with us’

President Donald Trump on Friday promised a historic buildup of America’s already vast military, but said he hoped he would never need to use it.

We are “putting in a massive budget request for our beloved military and we will be substantially upgrading all of our military,” Trump told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) just outside Washington,

“Offensive. Defensive. Everything. Bigger and better and stronger than ever before. And hopefully we’ll never have to use it,” he added.

Trump last month signed an executive order to begin increasing the size of the US armed forces, promising new aircraft, naval ships and more resources for the Pentagon.

The order provided few specifics but Trump made clear during last year’s campaign and in recent weeks that he wants to enlarge the ranks of the military and expand its fleets of aircraft and ships.

Top brass from across the armed services in recent weeks have decried staffing and equipment shortcomings that pose a threat to morale and operational readiness.