© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks during a news conference after participating in an online meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., November 16, 2022. REUTERS / Tom Brenner
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Saturday called on Congress not to delay the passage of the Pentagon’s full-year spending bill, known as a multitasking set, saying it was key to helping keep America safe.
Austin said at the Reagan Defense Forum in Simi Valley, California, which was attended by Republican and Democratic lawmakers: “Let me urge Congress to pass the bill on time so that we can get it right. we may have the ability to further strengthen our deterrence.”
A commonly floated alternative to a multimedia system, known as a continuation solution, or CR, would effectively freeze spending at current levels. Such a bill would require the armed forces to rely on old equipment, while the development of new military technologies would largely cease, US lawmakers have warned.
