Washington DC [US], July 22 : Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine on Tuesday (US local time) urged the US Senate to approve President Donald Trump's USD 1.5 trillion defence budget request, saying America's armed forces require the funding to meet future military challenges, accelerate investments in critical technologies and stay ahead of adversaries.
Testifying alongside Secretary of War Pete Hegseth before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the administration's supplemental funding request for the Department of Defence, Caine said, "I've come today to ask for your help and your support. America's armed forces need USD 1.5 trillion to meet the military challenges of the future. This supplemental is a part of that."
He asked for the capital to be allowed to be used to pay for military personnel, operations and maintenance expenses, and accelerate investments in critical technologies.
"It is critical that we stay ahead of our adversaries and we must have the funds before we're out of time," he added.
Recalling remarks made by former US Army Chief of Staff General George C Marshall in 1940, Caine said, "On July 22nd, 1940, General George C Marshall said, 'For almost 20 years, we had all of the time and almost none of the money. Today we have all of the money and no time.' His words resonate powerfully with me today as we find ourselves in a somewhat similar situation."
"I've come to you today to request the necessary funds while in the window of opportunity, while time is still on our side," he added.
Highlighting the evolving security environment, Caine said the United States faces military challenges across multiple regions and domains.
"The United States of America faces a global list of military challenges in the Middle East, in Europe, in the Pacific, both nuclear and non-nuclear challenges and the continued threat of terrorism," he said.
"Our adversaries are aligning in their interests, creating simultaneous challenges across multiple domains. They are sharing intelligence, combat capabilities, and technology -- technology that is accelerating the speed of war," Caine added.
He stressed that advances in artificial intelligence and autonomous systems were transforming warfare.
"It is an imperative that Americans understand that the character of war is changing. Advances in technology are fundamentally and irreversibly changing the way we fight, which necessitates capital to properly arm America's military," he said.
"Rapid advancements in AI, autonomous systems deliver critical technological advantages to our national defence and simultaneously introduce unprecedented strategic vulnerabilities and uncertainty across the world, to include right here at home," Caine said.
"The low barrier to entry created by affordable, ubiquitous unmanned systems means our adversaries, rogue actors, state and non-state actors, and violent extremists have access to disruptive and potentially lethal technologies at scale. We've seen this in Ukraine and we must adopt elements of this fight for our future fights," he added.
Backing the funding request, Hegseth described it as "a peace through strength package."
"This is a peace through strength package. That is what USD 1.5 trillion has always been about. This is about a generational investment," Hegseth said.
He said the funding would enable the United States to operate "at speed, scale, with autonomy and artificial intelligence" to sustain operations in the Strait of Hormuz and "deter adversaries like Russia and China from getting involved in future contingencies."
"We live in a dangerous world that requires bold and swift action, hence this supplemental request for Fiscal Year 2026. This request is an urgent, necessary injection of resources to address the immediate needs of our department," Hegseth said.
Defending the administration's approach, Hegseth said, "President Trump's following a simple logic, the military requires a generational investment to deliver on peace through strength. We know the best way to create peace is to prepare for war, to deter it."
Slamming the previous administrations, Hegseth attacked former President Biden's administration for its "gross negligence and neglect" to his department and said, "We are a Department that, for four years, met funding shortfalls under the previous Administration. It was not a priority to fund the Department of Defense under Joe Biden. This USD 1.5 trillion budget, with this supplemental being part of it, is how we catch up and get ahead."