Trump’s $1.5T Defense Budget Signals Major War-Spending Push

The Pentagon is proposing a $1.5 trillion defense budget for next year—a roughly 50% climb that would be the largest defense share of GDP since the Cold War—funding next‑gen weapons, unmanned warfare, space‑based sensors and a space‑based missile‑defense network dubbed the ‘Golden Dome,’ plus a Navy ‘Golden Fleet’ and big missile purchases. Trump touts it as building a “Dream Military,” but GOP and Democratic lawmakers warn it could be wasteful and hard to justify without a clear exit strategy as tensions with Iran escalate and energy prices rise; watchdogs also spotlight end‑of‑fiscal‑year spending that fueled lavish items and questionable purchases.