Trump Signs $716 Billion U.S. Military Budget

Donald Trump signed a $716 billion military budget for the United States. This budget increases the salaries of armed forces and leads to the modernization of the air, naval, and missile defense fleets of the U.S. military. During the signing of this budget on August 13 in a military area in New York, Donald Trump stated, "Fortunately, we are becoming so powerful that we will never have to use it. But if we do, no one will stand a chance." The official name of this budget is the "John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act." The budget issued by the U.S. President had previously been approved by the Senate. This legislation increases U.S. defense spending and, as reported by the Associated Press, allocates billions of dollars for military construction, including complexes and housing for military personnel and their families. According to Reuters, this budget allocates $10 billion for the development of air defense capabilities of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, emphasizing the need to counter threats from Iran and North Korea. The "Defense Authorization" allocates nearly $70 billion for what is termed "potential overseas operations." Under this legislation, the salaries of armed forces members will increase by 2.6%, and $7.6 billion is designated for the purchase of 77 advanced F-35 fighter jets. According to Reuters, this budget requires the U.S. Secretary of Defense to investigate whether Turkey's use of the Russian S-400 air defense system compromises the security of certain U.S.-made weapons, such as the F-35. The U.S. Senate passed a bill at the end of June that prohibits the sale of F-35 jets to Turkey unless Ankara abandons its purchase of the S-400 missile defense system from Russia. According to reports from the Associated Press and Reuters, while some U.S. lawmakers called for using the budget to impose stricter sanctions against the Chinese telecommunications company ZTE for circumventing sanctions on Iran and North Korea, the final legislation includes less stringent measures. ZTE had been fined $1 billion for violating sanctions on Iran and North Korea and was on the verge of shutting down, but with Trump's intervention, the sanctions against it were lifted. The U.S. intelligence community has expressed concerns about "subversive actions" by Chinese government-affiliated telecommunications companies. Trump had warned that sanctions would leave many unemployed in China. On the other hand, Reuters reported that the new budget strengthens the power of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which investigates foreign investments and potential threats to U.S. national security; this section appears to specifically target China.