U.S. Military Stretched by Strategic Demands That Outpace Budget

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President Barack Obama’s $534.3 billion spending request for the Defense Department, a 7.7 percent increase, comes amid warnings of a growing gap between what the military is asked to do and the funding needed to do it.

The core defense budget request, which exceeds federal budget caps by about $36 billion, sets the stage for a contentious debate in Congress about the constraints imposed by budget rules and how to align defense strategy and spending.