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Trump to push Pentagon upgrade aboard USS Gerald R. Ford

Posted at 5:34 AM, Mar 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-02 05:34:10-05

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is planning to meet with sailors and shipbuilders on an aircraft carrier in Virginia as he promotes his plans for a major buildup of the nation’s military.

Trump is traveling Thursday to Newport News to deliver a speech aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford, a $12.9 billion warship expected to be commissioned this year after cost overruns and delays. He’s also meeting with the carrier’s builder.

A draft White House budget plan would add $54 billion to the Pentagon’s projected budget, a 10 percent increase.

“To keep America safe, we must provide the men and women of the United States military with the tools they need to prevent war — if they must — they have to fight and they only have to win,” Trump said Tuesday.