WASHINGTON- The Obama administration will seek a base defense budget of $534 billion when it sends its 2016 spending request to Congress next week, a US official said on Tuesday, a figure that exceeds federal caps by $35 billion and could trigger mandatory cuts.The administration also will ask for nearly $51 billion in funding for the war in Afghanistan as well as the conflict against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the formal budget presentation next week.The base budget proposal includes $107.7 billion for weapons procurement and $69.8 billion for research, Bloomberg reported.
