The US House Appropriations Committee had cleared the defense spending bill for Fiscal year 2022 worth $ 716 billion with minor amendments to that suggested by the Biden administration. The United States Congress had approved the defense spending bill to cater the financial requirements of all US Defense institutions including Department of Defense (DoD), Intelligence Community, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), National Security Agency (NSA) and all other relevant departments. While approving the funds, US Lawmakers clearly illustrated the purposes of funds allocation which includes national security, Containment of Chinese influence, closure of Guantanamo Bay detention facility, evacuation of Afghan national US spies, informants, interpreters, and other local staff who had been working for the US over the year and now facing threat in the country after US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The bill also asked for a halt to US support to Saudi led coalition offensive operations in Yemen.
According to details, $ 166. 8 billion had been allocated for pay, allowances and lodging of the military personnel whereas $ 254.3 billion for operations and maintenance and $ 110 billion for (R&D) and Test and Evaluation (T&E) during fiscal year 2022. About $ 36.7 billion had been deputed for Defense medical expenditures including research on various kinds of cancer in the human body. US Congress set aside $ 3.05 billion for Afghan security forces for their Counter terrorism operation in Post US era, however US Congress linked this aid to the certification by the US Secretary of Defense that Afghan defense forces are being headed by civilian leadership, women rights are being protected satisfactorily and Afghan soil is not being allowed to the terrorist elements for any anti-US activities. It also extended $ 25 million for evacuation and transportation of those Afghan nationals who worked for the US including spying over their countrymen, provided interpreter services to US military, or worked with USAID during American occupation of Afghanistan.
The Democrats had taken flight to close the infamous Guantanamo Bay detention facility before 30 September this year and did not allocate funds for the operations of the subject prison after 30 September. The defense budget request 2022 is the first ever defense estimate prepared by the Biden administration, however its size and contours are like the previous budgets because there is no substantial change in US defense posture in coming years. A huge amount is being invested into procurement of modern military hardware including more than 150 state of the art fighter aircrafts, choppers, and armed drones, 14 Naval warships and 2 Submarines for the US Navy. The US Army would get 70 Abrams tanks, 187 Stryker Armed Vehicles and other related equipment out of this budget estimate. Apart from the conventional warfare paraphernalia, the upcoming budget has sufficient funds for research and innovation programs in Space, nuclear and missile weaponry, Sea based latest cruise missiles and other sophisticated equipment meant to deter China in near future because no other power has such weaponry in the world. US lawmakers also gave due importance to Cyber security and allocated $ 500 million for technology moderation funds and $ 110 million Cyber security and infrastructure Security Agency to deter recent cyber-attacks on US entities. The US defense budget is a clear illustration of America’s desire to keep the world in its claws either by using slogans of democracy and human rights or by using lethal power for achievement of so-called free and fair world order.
