WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Tuesday the Pentagon would seek a $582.7 billion defense budget next year and reshape its spending priorities to reflect a new strategic environment marked by Russian assertiveness and the rise of Islamic State.
Carter, speaking to the Economic Club of Washington, said the Pentagon's funding request would be in line with last year's congressional budget deal but spending would be refocused to address five big challenges facing the U.S. military: Russia, China, North Korea, Iran and Islamic State.
"Today's security environment is dramatically different than the one we've been engaged with for the last 25 years, and it requires new ways of thinking and new ways of acting," Carter said.