$533.7B defense budget proposed

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Defense Department would get a baseline budget of $533.7 billion in fiscal year 2010, up from $513.3 billion appropriated by Congress in 2009, under the president's budget. It's part of the $3.55 trillion budget the White House released Thursday. (Sources: Wall Street Journal, Aviation Week, Washington Post, 02/26/09) Gulf Coast note: The DoD budget is important to this region, which is home to military bases as well as large and small defense contractors, including major shipbuilding operations in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama