Biden Seeks $10 Billion for Pacific Deterrence Initiative

‘We know that China seeks to challenge the security and economic interests of the United States...,’ Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin talks to the media at the seventh gathering of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group at Ramstein air base in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany, on March 19, 2024. Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images

The Biden administration is seeking nearly $10 billion to build out defense capabilities aimed at countering Chinese communist aggression in the Indo-Pacific.

The administration’s proposed defense spending request for fiscal year 2025 includes $9.9 billion for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI), a congressionally mandated section of the defense budget aimed at prioritizing defense spending for the region.