The Economic Club of Washington, D.C. featured Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter February 2. In remarks to Economic Club members, Secretary Carter presented an overview of the Department of Defense’s (DoD) proposed $582.7 billion budget for 2017. He told the audience that this budget reflects a change in focus for DoD, moving from prioritization of preparing “for whatever big war people thought was coming over the horizon" to a broader approach toward countering global threats. "Now we have to think and do a lot of different things about a lot of different challenges — not just ISIL and other terrorist groups, but also competitors like Russia and China, and threats like North Korea and Iran," he said. Priorities in the proposed budget, according to Secretary Carter, include increased spending for the war against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria; in Europe to reassure allies and deter Russian aggression; new technology, research, and development; undersea capabilities, and cyber. In crafting the budget, Secretary Carter said that modernization and readiness were favored over force structure.
To view additional highlights and excerpts from the event, please click here.
