U.S. President Donald Trump's $686 billion budget proposal for the Pentagon lifted spending as leaders attempt to fulfill promises of rebuilding the military and countering the strengthening power of China and Russia.

The Pentagon requested $617 billion and an additional $69 billion to fund ongoing wars, a total of $74 billion more than last year, to cover its annual budget.

The 2019 budget documents specifically highlighted "reversing the erosion of the U.S. military advantage in relation to China and Russia," which was a focal point of the National Defense Strategy unveiled by Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in January.

Funds for the maintenance of the U.S. nuclear arsenal also increased.

On top of the Pentagon's $686 billion budget request was an additional $30 billion for non-defense agencies including the Department of Energy, which maintains the nuclear weapons arsenal.

The 2019 budget request for the National Nuclear Security Administration, a semi-autonomous wing of the Department of Energy, was $15.09 billion, an increase of nearly $1.2 billion from last year's budget proposal.

The Department of Energy said the money was needed to modernize and restore the country's nuclear weapons complex. Trump's Nuclear Posture Review released this month called for an expansion of U.S. low-yield nuclear weapons capability.

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