Pentagon to back Baltics in new budget ⋆ The Baltic Review

The burgeoning budget of Pentagon will be used to pay for significant US troop and equipment increases in countries such as Estonia and Romania

The official said Carter would announce big increases to the so-called European Reassurance Initiative aimed at countering a Russian threat, and the extra money will be used to pay for significant US troop and equipment increases in countries such as Estonia and Romania.

Carter also plans to unveil some newly declassified technologies, including a small drone that is capable of flying alongside other units in a sort of swarm, another defense official said.

The new budget includes $7 billion to fight ISIL an increase of about 35 percent over last year.

The burgeoning anti-IS budget reflects an expected expansion in the fight against the group, including in areas beyond Iraq and Syria, like Libya.

The budget is also likely to detail Pentagon plans for the A-10 ground attack plane. The aircraft, developed in the 1970s, had been slated for retirement but has become invaluable in the US-led effort against IS fighters.

A delay in its retirement could have knock-on effects for other cash-thirsty projects, including the costly F-35 fighter.