An official website of the United States Government 
Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov

.gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Shanahan Backs Proposed Military Budget

You have accessed part of a historical collection on defense.gov. Some of the information contained within may be outdated and links may not function. Please contact the DOD Webmaster with any questions.

The National Defense Strategy is the pinnacle by which the president’s proposed budget for the Defense Department should be based, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan told representatives on Capitol Hill.

"The strategy you supported last year is the same strategy we are asking you to fund this year," the secretary told the House Armed Services Committee.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan, Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford and David L. Norquist sit at a table alongside each other.
Official Testimony
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan, Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and David L. Norquist, chief financial officer to the Department of Defense, testify to the House Armed Services Committee on the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Budget Request in Washington, March 26, 2019.
Credit: Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith, DOD
VIRIN: 190326-D-SV709-0011

Shanahan and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford appeared together before the committee to back the proposed budget of more than $718 billion for the military.

The proposed budget would include money for President Donald J. Trump’s southwest border wall. Up to $3.6 billion would support military construction projects that will be awarded in fiscal year 2020 rather than in fiscal year 2019, so DOD can resource border barrier projects under the president’s emergency declaration of this year, Shanahan said, and $3.6 billion in case  additional emergency funding is needed for the border.

I also want to emphasize: The funds requested for the border barrier amount to less than 1 percent of the national defense topline.’’
Acting Defense Secretary Patrick M. Shanahan

Yet, "military construction on the border will not come at the expense of our people, our readiness or our modernization," the secretary said.

Further, Shanahan said, no military housing, barracks or dormitory projects will be affected.

"I appreciate the inherent intra-government complexities of the southwest border situation," Shanahan said. "I also want to emphasize: The funds requested for the border barrier amount to less than 1 percent of the national defense topline."

Bar graph showing funding for FY 2010 - FY2020
Department of Defense Funding from FY 2010 Through FY 2020
Graphic depicts Department of Defense Funding from FY 2010 Through FY 2020.
Credit: Defense Media Activity
VIRIN: 190312-D-ZZ999-004
This graphic shows a graph with numbers
Defense Spending as a % of Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
This is a graphic showing defense spending as a percentage of gross domestic product.
Credit: Defense Media Activity
VIRIN: 190312-D-ZZ999-001
This graphic shows two circle graphs showing funding by appropriation title and military department.
FY 2020 TOTAL Base and OCO Funding
This graphic shows DOD FY 2020 total base and overseas contingency operations funding.
Credit: Defense Media Activity
VIRIN: 190312-D-ZZ999-003

Related Stories