President George W. Bush will ask Congress for $439.3 billion in defense spending for fiscal 2007, a 4.8 per cent increase over the current U.S. military budget, defense and administration officials said on Thursday. The proposed budget for the financial year beginning next October includes $84.2 billion to purchase fighter jets, ships and other new weapons and $73.2 billion for military research and development programs, according to the officials, who asked not to be identified. The proposed Pentagon budget, which does not include Energy Department funds to maintain the U.S. nuclear weapons arsenal, will be sent to Congress by the White House on Monday. The new military budget also does not include $120 billion in planned new U.S. funding for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a report of Reuters.
