Trump asks Congress to raise military spending by $6bn
-
US President Donald Trump is helped putting on his Commander in Chief jacket
Touring Asia to muster support for stronger action against North Korea, US President Donald Trump has asked Congress to raise military spending by $6 billion.
As the American head of state was preparing to leave Japan on Monday, news broke that he had asked lawmakers for $4 billion to complete the installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system in South Korea.
Washington says the system is supposed to defend Japan and South Korea from the North’s missiles, but Russia and China say the THAAD’s advanced radar could spy on their territories.
The budget request also includes $1.2 billion to fund his request for sending 3,500 additional troops to Afghanistan, part of a new plan that he unveiled in August to prolong US military presence in the war-torn country.
The remaining $700 million will be used to repair two US Navy ships in the Pacific fleet — USS John S. McCain and USS Fitzgerald — which were heavily damaged in deadly collisions earlier in the year.
Trump landed in Seoul on Tuesday to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the Blue House and meet with US and South Korean troops.
Tens of thousands of US troops have been stationed in the South, which has been a major ally of the US after they jointly fought the North during the Korean War in the early 1950s.
EA
