Following a prolonged shutdown, the US armed forces are on the verge of securing their official budget. A congressional compromise has been reached, with the approved bill now awaiting President Donald Trump's final approval.
Just a reminder: the White House sent its proposed federal budget for 2026 to Capitol Hill last spring. Yet, partisan gridlock between Republicans and Democrats prevented its passage by the October 1st deadline, which marks the beginning of the fiscal year. This failure triggered a government shutdown — freezing funds for all federal operations, including the military. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt stated that paycheck suspension forced most military families to rely on food aid. In response, Donald Trump issued an order on October 15th to ensure troops received their wages, while billionaire Timothy Mellon stepped in with a $130 million donation to the government to cover servicemembers' back pay.
Trump ended the 43-day shutdown on November 13 by signing a law to fund the government until January 30, 2026. Amid the impasse, a dedicated congressional commission sought funding compromises for six departments: war, health, labor, commerce, justice, and the interior. The first such agreement, it turns out, was military — the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
The NDAA authorizes $901 billion in defense spending for 2026, an $8 billion increment above the Trump administration's request. Congress kept intact the original strategic goals for these funds. Their stated purpose is to amplify US combat power and readiness for technologically advanced conflicts, advancing national interests globally in line with the "America First" and "Peace Through Strength" doctrines.
Among the priorities enumerated in the legislation, nuclear triad modernization is paramount. This strategic emphasis is readily justified by the escalating discourse within the United States and among its Western allies concerning the conceivable employment of nuclear weapons in modern conflicts. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth encapsulated this rationale, affirming, "Ultimately, our deterrence, our survival is reliant upon the capability, the perception, and the reality of the capability of our nuclear triad."
To this end, the fiscal year 2026 allocates roughly $60 billion toward the development and support of every element of the American nuclear triad. A sum of $3.8 billion within this allocation is dedicated to the research and development of the new Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile. The NDAA stipulates a target date for this program to achieve initial operational capability: September 30, 2033. Additionally, the act mandates that the United States maintain a sufficient ICBM inventory to allow for the continuous deployment of no fewer than 400 missiles, supported by a minimum of 450 launch silos. Deriving from these requirements, the Pentagon has been directed to formulate and submit a comprehensive strategy for sustaining the combat effectiveness of the currently deployed Minuteman III fleet while pursuing the maximal extension of its service life.
Funding also includes $5.8 billion to scale up production of the B-21 Raider strategic bomber, $10 billion for building the Columbia-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, and $2.6 billion for manufacturing the Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile.
A further $1 billion is earmarked for advancing new Long-Range Stand-Off (LRSO) weaponry. A prime example is the AGM-181 long-range cruise missile, tested in May, which is slated for service entry by 2027 and mass deployment in the 2030s. The Pentagon plans to procure at least 1,000 AGM-181s designed to carry a nuclear warhead with a yield of 5 to 150 kilotons, for its B-52 and B-21 bomber fleets.
The US push extends beyond missiles and bombers to the warheads themselves. Mirroring this focus, the 2026 budget directs $34 billion to the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the agency overseeing nuclear warhead design and manufacturing. The funds break down for specific programs: $16 million for the B61-12 gravity bomb, $49.3 million for the B61-13, $1.3 billion for the W80-4 warhead, $649 million for the W87-1, $807 million for the W93, and $50 million for an SLCM (Sea-Launched Cruise Missile) warhead. The legislation also calls for a rapid prototyping initiative to field new nuclear weapons tailored to modern military needs.
Other major Trump administration priorities are also funded, such as developing the Air Force's next-gen F-47 and the Navy's F/A-XX fighter jets, alongside drones, submarines, and other vessels. A significant $13 billion is earmarked for the high-profile Golden Dome missile defense shield. The NDAA demands a comprehensive plan for this system — including its technical architecture — within 180 days, followed by yearly progress reports and quarterly briefings on the next-generation shield's development.
The budget's other significant allocations are $26 billion for naval construction, $38 billion for aviation programs, and $25 billion to restock ammunition. A formidable $145 billion is committed to military research and development. This investment underscores a strategic commitment to next-generation, network-centric conflict, prioritizing unmanned platforms, AI, and accelerated command and control.
Balancing this technological focus, the bill acknowledges the enduring centrality of the human element in warfare. Consequently, $234 billion is designated for personnel and healthcare. This funds a 3.8% pay increase, raises the deployment-related family allowance from $250 to $300, and provides $1.5 billion for new barracks, housing, and childcare facilities. In a socially contentious provision, the NDAA also bars transgender women from competing in women's sports at military service academies.
House Speaker Mark Johnson framed the NDAA's adoption as fulfilling the "Peace Through Strength" agenda, reinvigorating the military-industrial complex, and restoring martial ardor. Paradoxically, the bill also directly challenges several of President Trump's core positions. It legally blocks the Pentagon from reducing US forces in Europe below 76,000 or surrendering the NATO Supreme Allied Commander role without prior congressional certification of allied consultation and national security benefit. An identical troop cap of 28,500 applies to South Korea.
Defying White House requests, legislators mandated $400 million in military aid for Ukraine. They also allocated $175 million to the Baltic states — Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia — regarded in NATO strategy as a potential staging ground against Russia.
Notably, the NDAA does not include language to officially the Department of Defense as the Department of War — a term favored by Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. The latter has argued that such a rebranding would reflect a proper focus on lethality, though congressional approval would be necessary.
These persistent contradictions, despite the bill's White House backing, point to a discernible chill between the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress, as well as a waning of presidential sway over the legislative branch. The divergence is likely to intensify.
