Defense/ Budget

The Pentagon is seeking an increase of $20.4 billion, or 13 percent, for weapons and research as President Barack Obama begins a push to remove defense budget caps that would force cuts in spending instead.

The Defense Department blueprint for the year that begins Oct. 1 calls for $177.5 billion in procurement and research spending. It includes funds to replenish weapons used in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, from Lockheed Martin Corp.’s Hellfire missiles to tactical wheeled vehicles made by Oshkosh Corp.

Obama will call for an end to sequestration, the automatic spending cuts that apply to both defense and domestic programs, in a speech to House Democrats on Thursday. Pentagon spending is popular with many Republicans and spread across hundreds of congressional districts.

Pentagon Seeks 13% Weapons Increase as Obama Urges End to Cuts