DoD budget hike largest in 20 years

VFW Magazine, April, 2002 by Tim Dyhouse

President Bush has requested a $379 billion defense budget for fiscal year 2003. It represents a 14%--or $48 billion--boost from 2002, the largest one-year increase since the Reagan Administration.

"Our first priority is the military," Bush said in January after unveiling the budget.

Nearly $2 billion of the increase is ear-marked for pay raises. In total, some $94 billion will go for military pay. Another $10 billion of the budget increase would pay for the war on terrorism.