"Given today’s security environment, the President’s proposed increase in defense spending over last year’s budget, is responsible, prudent and essential for providing our troops what they need and what they fully deserve," Carter said in a testimony to the US House Armed Service Committee.
The Defense Secretary noted that if confronted with sequestration level budget, the US Defense Department would have to change the shape, not just the size of the military.
Carter also said he will not send troops to fight with outdated equipment and inadequate readiness.
The US Congress is currently working to reach an agreement on the federal budget for fiscal year 2016. The Defense Department has requested approximately $585 billion in defense spending, which is higher than the amount of spending authorized under the Congress' Budget Control Act limits.
