Defense Secretary Robert Gates has unveiled his budget plan for the Pentagon. There are a broad range of cuts to weapons spending and big boosts to new technology that are supposed to help battle the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gates didn't just spend money, though, he also took a red pen to President Obama's budget line for a new helicopter. Paul Hughes, senior program officer at the Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention at the United States Institute for Peace joins New York Times Reporter Elisabeth Bumiller to break the new budget plan down.

The 2010 Department of Defense Budget Proposal
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates announces some major cuts (and a couple of increases) in his 2010 budget. View other highlights from the speech, in pictures, after the jump.


Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Marine Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, at a Pentagon press briefing, April 6, 2009 (Cherie Cullen/Department of Defense)

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F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
"...I will recommend increasing the buy of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter from the 14 aircraft bought in '09 to 30 in FY '10, with a corresponding funding increase from $6.8 billion to $11.2 billion."


The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at its July 7, 2006 unveiling in Ft. Worth, Texas. (Joint Strike Fighter/Department of the Navy)

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Counterinsurgency Funding
The budget reflects a shift towards spending on counterinsurgency equipment and operations — purchasing helicopters and ships to aid in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.


US troops on patrol (U.S. Army)

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F-22 Fighter
"We will end production of the F-22 fighter at 187, representing 183 planes in the current program, plus four recommended for inclusion in the FY 2009 supplemental."


An F-22 fighter. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Ben Bloker)

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Missile Defense
"...in the area of missile defense, we will restructure the program to focus on the rogue state in theater missile threat...Overall, the missile defense agency program will be reduced by $1.4 billion."


A defense missile. (Missile Defense Agency/Department of Defense)

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Future Combat Systems
"We will significantly restructure the Army's future combat systems program." Gates' proposal cuts into what the Army calls "the cornerstone of Army Modernization."


A next generation tank, part of the future combat systems program. (U.S. Army)