President Donald Trump on Friday promised a historic buildup of America’s already vast military, but said he hoped he would never need to use it.
We are “putting in a massive budget request for our beloved military and we will be substantially upgrading all of our military,” Trump told the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) just outside Washington,
“Offensive. Defensive. Everything. Bigger and better and stronger than ever before. And hopefully we’ll never have to use it,” he added.
Trump last month signed an executive order to begin increasing the size of the US armed forces, promising new aircraft, naval ships and more resources for the Pentagon.
The order provided few specifics but Trump made clear during last year’s campaign and in recent weeks that he wants to enlarge the ranks of the military and expand its fleets of aircraft and ships.
Top brass from across the armed services in recent weeks have decried staffing and equipment shortcomings that pose a threat to morale and operational readiness.
“Nobody’s going to mess with us, folks. Nobody. It will be one of the greatest military buildups in American history,” Trump said.
While campaigning, Trump frequently lamented what he described as a depleted US military and complained America no longer wins wars.
“Nobody will dare question our military might again,” he told the conservative conference.
“We believe in peace through strength. And that’s what we will have.”
The US military is already by far the world’s most powerful and most expensive. It has bases spanning the globe, an annual budget of more than $600 billion and about 1.3 million active duty troops.
Military spending accounts for about 3.3 percent of America’s GDP and Republicans are eager to spend billions more, though for now it is unclear where the extra cash would come from, especially if the Trump administration cuts taxes.
Lockheed Martin to relocate Fleet Ballistic Missile program
Sunnyvale, Calif. (UPI) Feb 24, 2017 – Lockheed Martin plans to relocate its Fleet Ballistic Missile program in a move the company says will cut costs for its customers.
The move will take place over the course of eight years. Approximately 650 positions from Lockheed Martin’s Space Systems facility in Sunnyvale, Calif., will relocate to other company facilities in Florida and Colorado.
“We value the deep expertise of our employees, and we’re working diligently to shape a transition that leverages the knowledge of this team,” Lockheed Martin Space Systems executive vice president Rick Ambrose said in a press release.
“Reshaping our Fleet Ballistic Missile program will help us take full advantage of our engineering and manufacturing facilities and centralize key skills, saving costs for the Navy on this critical national security program.”
Lockheed Martin officials went on to add current Space Systems employees will be given the opportunity to retain their positions.
“As our business evolves, we’re adapting to ensure we deliver the innovation, affordability and performance our customers demand,” general manager Mathew Joyce said.
“We’ve laid out a long-term strategy that will achieve that evolution and position us for the future, while offering our employees time to plan and prepare for the transition.”
The Fleet Ballistic Missile program is an effort by Lockheed Martin and the U.S. Navy for the production of the Trident II D5 submarine-launched missile. Lockheed Martin developed and produced the missile in addition to its supporting equipment.
