Much of the new request -- which would bring the total 2008 budget for operations in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere to nearly $200 billion -- will go to refurbish and purchase new military equipment such as mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicles, or MRAPs, The New York Times reported.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates will present the request at a Wednesday Senate Appropriations Committee hearing, the Pentagon officials said Saturday.

Though the budget increase could sharpen partisan divisions over the U.S. presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, the newspaper said, more funding for MRAPs should not be a difficult sell in Congress.

Legislators have already approved $1.2 billion more than the $2.6 billion the Bush administration initially sought for the vehicles in fiscal year 2007. Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., has introduced legislation to further increase funding for MRAPs by $23.6 billion.