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21 Apr 26. Fiscal Year 2027 Military Intelligence Program Budget Request
Today, the Department of War released the Military Intelligence Program (MIP) top line budget request for fiscal year 2027. The total was $50.0 billion and is aligned to strategic priorities of the Secretary of War.
The department determined that releasing this top line figure does not jeopardize any classified activities within the MIP. No other MIP budget figures or program details will be released, as they remain classified for national security reasons. (Source: U.S. DoD)
21 Apr 26. $1.5 Trillion Budget Request Prioritizes Service Members, Modernization.
The president’s fiscal year 2027 budget request was made public today during a briefing at the Pentagon, with $1.5 trillion — the largest request in history — aimed at, among other things, supporting service members and their families, securing the American homeland, modernizing equipment, rebuilding the defense industrial base and providing a raise to service members.
“We are delivering on President [Donald J.] Trump’s commitment to expand American military dominance for decades to come,” said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. “Previous administrations underinvested in our military while our enemies grew stronger and more dangerous, so we are now changing the game. This budget builds this arsenal without compromising readiness that will ensure we remain the world’s premier fighting force, we protect the homeland, and we create peace through strength now and into the future.”
The FY27 budget request represents a sizable increase over last year’s budget, said Jules W. Hurst III, performing the duties of the War Department comptroller.
“This is a generational investment in the United States military— the arsenal of freedom,” Hurst said. “This 42% increase will supercharge our defense industrial base by expanding production of major weapon systems, while strengthening supply chains and supporting tens of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses. It secures our homeland and military advantage through investments in the Golden Dome missile defense system, drone dominance and space superiority.”
This year’s budget request puts a huge focus on buying and investing in actual hardware, Hurst said. About 52% of the total budget request is aimed at buying munitions, planes, tanks and ships.
“The FY27 defense budget will be the largest investment in military capabilities in over a generation,” Hurst said. “This budget allocates over $750 billion … just in capability development and procuring weapons systems.”
The department intends to pay for drone warfare capabilities, space capabilities and investments in shipbuilding. Hurst noted that it also encompasses an ample investment in facility sustainment, restoration and modernization — including where service members live.
“[We’re] ensuring service members work and live in safe and high-quality conditions,” he said. “This budget request was specifically formulated to remediate all barracks and government-owned buildings and housing that [are] substandard. We will also make a significant investment [in] remediating facilities across the department’s inventory that do not meet our quality standards.”
The defense industrial base is the collection of both large and small private-sector companies in the United States that build America’s warfighting gear— guns, bullets, ships and airplanes. Ensuring those companies are strong and committed to building America’s defense is something the FY27 budget is aimed at accomplishing.
“Large defense firms are critical to our national security, but they rely on tens of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses to provide the parts, components and materials to larger firms,” Hurst said. “For example, the F-35 program alone has over 2,100 suppliers, and more than half of these are American small businesses.”
The viability of those businesses is critical to the strength of the U.S. military — without the defense industrial base, the U.S. military can’t get the materiel it needs to defend the nation.
“This budget invests over $100 billion to strengthen that ecosystem,” Hurst said.
In the FY27 budget, the department also looks to expand multiyear contracts up to seven years for critical munitions, to provide stability and to incentivize long-term investment across the supply chain. Hurst said multiyear contracts provide smaller companies with the confidence needed to expand and invest in their own capacity.
“When the Department of War oscillates between buying large numbers and small numbers of a weapon system, large defense companies can tolerate that fluctuation, but the small and medium-sized defense suppliers who aid them cannot,” Hurst said. “In every instance where we know we’re going to continue to buy a system over a prolonged period of time, we’re going to request multiyear authorities from Congress.”
For the nuclear enterprise, Space Force Lt. Gen. Steven P. Whitney, War Department joint staff director of force structure, resources and assessment, said the budget request includes $71.4 billion to sustain and modernize all three legs of the nuclear triad — $16.2 billion for the Columbia-class submarine, $6.1 billion for the B-21 Raider bomber, $4.6 billion for the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program and $1.5 billion for the long-range standoff weapon.
“This budget request continues a generational modernization effort across all three legs of the triad to ensure the continued effectiveness of our nuclear deterrent,” Whitney said. “In addition to these investments in our nuclear deterrence weapons and platforms, the request also includes $20.2 billion of investments in nuclear command control and communications, or NC3 architecture — ensuring timely strategic missile warning reporting and strengthening presidential decision-making in command of our nuclear forces.”
On the sea, Whitney said this budget provides $65.8 billion for 18 battle force ships and 16 support ships as part of the “Golden Fleet” initiative. Another $8.7 billion is aimed at investments in maritime industrial base and shipyard infrastructure, including seven private, four public and multiple “Tier 2” private shipyards.
On the land, the FY27 budget proposal requests funding to expand production capacity and build stockpiles for Patriot, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, precision strike missiles and midrange capability weapons. In the air, the budget includes funding to ramp-up production of the F-35 Lightning II aircraft to 85 — up from 47 in FY26 — and increased production of the KC-46A Pegasus tanker.
Whitney noted that support to the joint force is also at the top of this budget, with a focus on housing for service members.
“We’re addressing the poor and failing structures in our facilities and bases,” he said. “This is part of a requested $57 billion investment in facility sustainment, restoration and modernization. A major portion of this commitment … is ensuring our service members have clean, comfortable and safe housing.”
The general said funds have been requested to address critical updates identified by the Barracks Task Force.
“Investments in this budget will fix all substandard barracks and eliminate barracks that have been deemed poor or failing,” he said. “There is an additional investment to improve family housing, with a major portion of this investment targeted at our government-owned housing facilities. Our joint force and families deserve quality housing. We are committed to ensuring they have access to safe, well-maintained and dignified living quarters and, ultimately, an improved quality of life.”
The budget also requests a pay increase for service members. Specifically, it requested a 7% increase for military personnel in the grade of E-5 and below, a 6% increase for personnel in the grades of E-6 to O-3 and a 5% increase for members in the grade of O-4 and above.
“With this funding request, we directly invest in our people, recognizing and respecting our warfighters, their families and the daily sacrifices they both make for our nation,” Whitney said. (Source: U.S. DoD)
16 Apr 26. Military Leaders Update Congress on Force Readiness, Quality of Life Programs.
Senior leaders from the Army, Navy and Marine Corps provided an update on steps their respective branches are taking to improve the quality of life for service members during a hearing in Washington yesterday before the House Armed Services Committee’s readiness subcommittee.
Acting Army Vice Chief of Staff Gen. Christopher C. LaNeve, Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James W. Kilby, and Marine Corps Assistant Commandant Gen. Bradford J. Gering all spoke on the topic.
“After 36 years, I’ve never seen a unit’s readiness determined by industrial capacity alone. What I have seen repeatedly is [that] how we treat our soldiers shapes whether we retain the experienced ones, and whether the force we’re building reflects the standards we claim to uphold,” LaNeve said during his opening remarks.
He went on to explain that the Army is investing $4 billion in infrastructure throughout 2026, which includes quality-of-life improvements such as upgraded nutrition initiatives, campus-style dining facilities and the scaling of holistic health and fitness across the Army’s entire active, guard and reserve force.
LaNeve added that those investments have had a measurable impact, as the service’s recruiting numbers are up and exceeding last year’s targets.
During his remarks, Kilby explained how the Navy has been implementing quality-of-life initiatives that have led to the retention of thousands of sailors who had previously been considering leaving the service after their enlistment was up.
Chief among those initiatives, Kilby said, is the permanent, shore-based housing for junior sailors, so they will no longer be required to live aboard their ship while in port.
“As of last month, 5,700 sailors have transitioned from living afloat to residing ashore,” Kilby said.
He added that unmet child care needs in the Navy were reduced from 2,200 spaces to 1,500, and that the Navy’s fitness facilities are now open 24/7.
Additionally, Kilby noted that the Navy is expanding meal selections and adding healthy food options in its galleys.
As for the Marine Corps, Gering said that senior leadership directly links quality of life to readiness.
“We … recognize that taking care of our Marines and our families and their families is a warfighting necessity that directly impacts readiness and retention,” he said.
Similar to the Navy, Gering said the Marine Corps is focused on proper housing for service members. The branch’s Barracks 2030 initiative — an $11 billion project to modernize unaccompanied housing — aims to provide safe, high-quality living conditions for single Marines, and it is making tangible progress.
As an example, Gering said in the past fiscal year, the Marine Corps completed four new barracks, began construction on eight others, awarded renovations for an additional 27 and outfitted 159 barracks with new furnishings.
He added that the service is “tackling child care challenges head-on” by implementing key recruiting and retention incentives for caregivers.
“These incentives include a 100% child care discount, increased salaries and a priority placement transfer program that allows military spouses to seamlessly move between installation child development centers when their service member executes permanent change of station orders,” Gering said. (Source: U.S. DoD)
20 Apr 26. Department of War Releases the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget.
The Department of War (DoW) today released President Donald J. Trump’s Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) Defense Budget, which asks for a generational investment of $1.5 trillion to unleash the American Arsenal of Freedom, marking a 42% increase over current funding levels.
“We are delivering on President Trump’s commitment to expand American military dominance for decades to come,” said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth. “Previous Administrations underinvested in our military while our enemies grew stronger and more dangerous, so we are now changing the game. This budget builds this arsenal without compromising readiness that will ensure we remain the world’s premier fighting force, we protect the homeland, and we create peace through strength now and into the future.”
In the midst of one of the most complex threat environments in this nation’s 250-year history, the President’s historic FY27 Budget ensures we will be prepared to meet our adversaries across the air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace domains. It will also rebuild and expand our Defense Industrial Base (DIB) with a $756.8 billion investments in new capabilities, delivering the innovation and lethality our warfighters need, while creating hundreds of thousands of jobs for Americans. It fully funds the Golden Dome to protect the homeland, invests in our critical minerals and munitions, and provides a pay raise for military personnel. At the same time, DoW cut nearly $20B in unnecessary spending and invested that money back in the warfighter.
Key Highlights:
Supercharging America’s Industrial Base
As the successor to the generational Reagan-era military build-up, over half ($756.8B) of the DoW’s budget is allocated to investments in new capabilities. This will create hundreds of thousands of jobs, unlock new capacity and credit, and massively increase the number of major defense articles we purchase. It will also make critical investments in our supply chains and in the tens of thousands of small and medium-sized American businesses that make up the heart of our industrial base.
Securing the Homeland
This budget makes an $18 billion investment to begin operationalizing America’s Golden Dome, the next-generation shield over the homeland. This will be a game-changing system of space-based missile defense sensors and interceptors, kinetic and non-kinetic missile defeat and defense capabilities, and enabling technologies for a layered, next-generation homeland missile defense system. It also includes $2.3 billion to sustain enhanced border security efforts in coordination with the Department of Homeland Security to maintain the most secure border in American history.
Ensuring America’s Readiness
This budget will invest an additional $31.7B in Core Readiness and Readiness Enablers, over FY 2026 enacted levels for areas such as cyber security, ship operations, flying hours, and ground readiness.
This budget also makes key investments in future advanced platforms like the F-47 and B-21, accelerates the modernization of our nuclear arsenals to reinforce deterrence, and delivers on promises to our warfighters and their families by putting forward the money necessary to provide them with world-class housing and pay that is in line with the quality of their service. It will also increase end strength by over 2% in FY27, which includes an increase for the active components of over 3%, growing the force by 44,000 service members. This growth will provide the manpower we need to employ new and expanded capabilities.
Drone Dominance
Delivering over a $74B investment, President Trump’s request triples how much we will spend on drone and counter-drone technologies from FY26. This marks the largest investment ever in this sector.
Maritime Dominance
A strong Navy has always been the backbone of American power projection and control of the seas has meant the difference between victory and vulnerability in every conflict. With the $65.8 billion invested in shipbuilding, we will ensure America’s naval superiority for decades to come with aggressive shipyard modernization and creation of the Golden Fleet, including the funding for 18 new Battle Force Ships, the largest request since 1962.
Space Superiority
The request nearly doubles the budget for the United States Space Force, investing more than $75B to ensure American space superiority. This investment prioritizes America’s vital national and economic security interests in, from, and to space.
Cyber Superiority
With more than $20 billion invested in our cyberspace capabilities, we will be better positioned than ever to defend federal systems, critical infrastructure, and supply chains, all while building robust cyber operations.
The Department’s Budget Materials can be found here: https://comptroller.war.gov/Budget-Materials/
20 Apr 26. US Air Force extends A-10 Warthog through 2030.
The United States Air Force is going to keep the A-10 Warthog in service through 2030, Secretary of the Air Force Troy E. Meink announced Monday on X, reversing a retirement timeline set to conclude in 2029.
“In consultation with [Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth], we will EXTEND the A-10 ‘Warthog’ platform to 2030,” Meink wrote. “This preserves combat power as the Defense Industrial Base works to increase combat aircraft production.”
The decision comes as A-10s have seen increased involvement during Operation Epic Fury in Iran.
A-10s have provided close air support in maritime operations in the Strait of Hormuz and were involved in the recent search and rescue mission that recovered two downed F-15E airmen.
One A-10 Thunderbolt II crashed during that mission. The pilot was subsequently rescued.
The fiscal 2026 NDAA called for 103 A-10s to remain in service through September 2026, with a transition to full retirement by 2029.
It remains unclear how many A-10s will remain in service through 2030.
Meink thanked President Donald Trump for “quick, decisive leadership” and said “more to come.” (Source: Defense News)
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