Overview
- The Pentagon, which detailed the plan Tuesday, seeks $1.15 trillion in annual appropriations and $350 billion through reconciliation that can pass the Senate with a simple majority, and pairs the surge with about a 10% cut to nondefense programs.
- Top priorities include the Golden Dome homeland missile shield and a $75 billion push into drones and counter-drone tech, including a jump for the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group from about $226 million to roughly $54 billion.
- The plan seeks $65.8 billion to buy 18 warships and 16 support vessels in the largest shipbuilding ask since 1962, plus higher F-35 buys, work on the next‑gen F‑47, and $6.1 billion for the B‑21 bomber.
- Troops would get 5% to 7% pay raises and the force would grow by about 44,000 service members, with officials also stressing multiyear contracts to expand the munitions and industrial supply base.
- The budget excludes Iran war operations, and officials expect a separate supplemental to cover costs such as munitions and base repairs, with reported estimates ranging from roughly $80 billion to $200 billion still unsettled.