DHAKA: United States president Barack Obama plans to ask for an increase in military spending in a proposed budget for 2016, with a request for US$585 billion that would exceed funding caps mandated by Congress.

Officials said on Wednesday, The Straits Times publishes this report on Thursday.

The budget proposal for the Pentagon would provide for a hike in spending on weapons, research and maintenance, which had been scaled back under automatic budget cuts in recent years, officials told the media.

The Obama administration, which is due to unveil its budget request on Monday, will seek a base defense budget in fiscal year 2016 of US$534.3 billion along with US$50.9 billion for the wars in Afghanistan and against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, a defense official said.

The request would invest US$107.7 billion in weapons programs, an increase of US$14.1 billion over the previous year, and provide US$69.8 billion for research and development, up US$6.3 billion from the last budget, the official said.

BDST: 1055 HRS, JAN 29, 2015