All articles tagged with #defense budget
The Pentagon, funded at nearly $1 trillion, is reportedly running short of cash as Congress has not approved a roughly $67 billion supplemental funding request, amid disputes over information about the war with Iran and concerns about sustaining operations.
Congressional aides propose diverting over $1.55B into the Air Force’s RDT&E to revive the E-7 Wedgetail as prototype development, redirecting funds from the Navy’s E-2D and Air Force procurement; the plan aims to deliver two Wedgetail prototypes and continue engineering, not immediate production, while the House restores E-2D procurement to six aircraft and requires a 2028 acquisition plan briefing for the E-7.
The Pentagon and Air Force moved about $1.55 billion from Air Force procurement and Navy E-2D funds into an Air Force R&D account to keep the E-7 Wedgetail program alive, reversing prior plans to cancel it and rely mainly on E-2Ds. The House Appropriations Committee supports funding the E-7 and has restored six E-2Ds for FY2027, illustrating a push for more AEW capacity rather than fewer. Final funding levels will hinge on budget negotiations with the Senate and White House; the broader context is ongoing strain on AEW fleets (E-3 retirement, E-2D load) amid ongoing operations, including Iran-related activity, which drives urgency for capable interim solutions.
OMB proposes shifting about $1.55B into Air Force R&D to resurrect two E-7 Wedgetail prototypes and continue engineering and development, reversing a Pentagon cancellation; the House Appropriations Committee backs the realignment but restores funding for the Navy’s E-2D Hawkeye and demands a 2028 acquisition plan briefing for the E-7, signaling a push to use Wedgetail as a near-term E-3 replacement.
Republican lawmakers expressed misgivings about a proposed $350 billion defense spending boost as part of a plan to lift Pentagon funding well above current levels, insisting on pay-fors and offsets. In a Capitol Hill meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, many GOP members called for policy riders or reforms (such as voting rules or defunding certain programs) and an audit of the Defense Department before endorsing the package. Passage would require near-unanimous GOP support and reconciliation steps, amid Trump’s push for rapid approval, with Senate timing and specifics still unsettled.
The Pentagon is asking Congress for about $80 billion to prepare for potential Iran-related military action, as today’s primaries unfold; at the same time, coverage of Donald Trump’s Reflecting Pool renovation in Washington centers on timing and readiness for the 250th anniversary, with security patrols and concerns about the coating and algae bloom.
The Pentagon has told senators it needs roughly $80 billion in a supplemental to finance the U.S. war with Iran, part of a broader drive to fund a sweeping defense budget. The White House has not yet formally requested the Iran package and is seeking about $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon overall; lawmakers from both parties are skeptical about the costs of war and how to structure the funding, with talks linking the Iran package to disaster relief and other aid.
Taiwan unveiled a $6.6 billion, six-year plan to buy over 208,000 coastal attack drones plus thousands of coast reconnaissance drones and uncrewed vessels, aiming to deter China and spur domestic drone production for export to the US and other buyers; firms like Thunder Tiger are expanding overseas and partnering with Western tech to win Pentagon approvals, with production projected to rise from about 15,000 drones per month to over 100,000 by 2030, though DJI’s dominance and domestic political hurdles could complicate efforts.
An Asia Times opinion piece argues the UK’s armed forces are in a dire state: manpower has fallen from about 155,000 in 1991 to around 72,500 today; the Navy and RAF have suffered large cuts, the submarine fleet is strained with aging Vanguard boats, and stockpiles are depleted. Defence Secretary John Healey resigned after the government offered far less new funding than requested (about £13.5 billion vs £18 billion), leaving defense projected at roughly 2.68% of GDP by 2030. The piece warns this weakens Britain’s deterrence, NATO role, and ability to defend itself, while ministers push Ukraine support and rely on the US for security. It calls for a radical rethink of Britain’s strategic posture toward home defense rather than power projection.
Two Republican appropriators say there will not be a third reconciliation package to fund the Pentagon’s $1.5 trillion budget, putting key defense priorities like munitions procurement and F-35 upgrades at risk and signaling that another reconciliation bill is unlikely.
Top Republican senators on the Senate Appropriations Committee say the proposed $350 billion reconciliation bill to reach a $1.5 trillion defense budget is unlikely to pass, arguing there will be no further reconciliation bills. The Pentagon structured its request to fund about $1.15 trillion through regular appropriations with the remainder via reconciliation. While House Republicans back the plan, Senate critics warn it would create instability by relying on a one-time infusion instead of base funding; the Air Force seeks $16 billion in reconciliation for F-35s and missiles, and without it, prioritization would occur within existing funds.
Global military spending reached nearly $2.9 trillion in 2025, led by the United States with about $954 billion—roughly one-third of the world total—followed by China ($336B) and Russia ($190B), with Germany rising to the fourth-largest spender; Europe and the Asia-Pacific region continued expanding defense budgets, and the top ten also included India, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, France, and Japan, per SIPRI data.
House authorizers propose $500 million in incremental FY2027 funding to buy a second Flight III Arleigh Burke destroyer, aiming to protect industrial-base workload at Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Shipbuilding while noting a current plan to buy only one destroyer; the panel also approves $1 billion in advance procurement for the BBG(X) battleship program with conditions, and will mark up the bill on June 4.
Poland’s deputy defense ministers travel to Washington to demand details after the U.S. unexpectedly halted the planned rotation of about 4,000 American troops in Poland, a move Warsaw says blindsided its government; Warsaw stresses the U.S.–Poland alliance and deterrence against Russia, with leaders pressing for clarity while reaffirming security cooperation and the importance of the partnership.
President Trump defends the Iran conflict as necessary to stop a nuclear threat and tells reporters he “doesn’t think about Americans’ financial situation,” even as the U.S. faces high inflation and gas prices. A Pentagon budget request of about $1.5 trillion for next year underscores costly war efforts, with lawmakers noting the roughly $30 billion already spent and unclear objectives. Polls show sharp economic disapproval, while Trump criticizes questions about rising domestic costs and ridicules a reporter, even as the Reflecting Pool renovation and other vanity projects draw scrutiny.