Pentagon Boosts Defense Budget, Focuses on Drones & Munitions

0:00It's April 22, I'm Cory with the story, and this is Tampa Bay News today, your AI-powered local news. Pentagon brass dropped the bombshell this week on next year's defense budget, jacking it up big amid the Iran war. They're pushing for over $74 billion on drones and tech, plus 30 billion more from munitions depleted in the fight. This ties into President Trump's call last month to bulk up military spending across the board. Those are owning the battlefield now, from Ukraine to Iran, so the plan carves out 54 billion for new unmanned gear and 21 billion. For counter drone weapons, systems like Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense are working overtime to swat cheap Iranian drones, but it's pricey work. The real sting, firing a missile worth hundreds of thousands too, down a $50,000 drone. Officials admit they need way deeper stockpiles to keep the edge sharp, no matter the theater. Navy's reloading on Tomahawk cruise missiles too, aiming for $7.85 this year after just

1:02$55 last year, that's a 13. 100% surge since they're flying off shells faster than factories can crank them. This blueprint was sketched before February strikes on Iran, so it's about long game readiness, not just patching warholes. Our play to stay stacked.