In brief
President Donald Trump is proposing a massive $1.5 trillion increase in the U.S. defense budget, marking the largest military spending rise since WWII. The proposal includes funding for new Trump-class battleships and the Golden Dome missile defense system, paired with cuts to domestic services in sectors such as climate and education. The budget seeks to solidify military funding as a national priority amid a changing global defense landscape.
The White House is asking Congress to boost the US defence budget to $1.5trn (£1.1trn), a sweeping rise that would mark the largest expansion in military spending since the Second World War. It includes funding for the Trump administration's proposed Golden Dome missile defence system, as well as a boost in domestic production of naval vessels, including new Trump-class battleships.The administration said it would pair the proposed increase with a call for cuts across domestic agencies, including eliminating some climate, housing, and education programmes. The request, which will need to be approved by the US Congress, is separate from the $200bn that the Pentagon sought for the war in Iran.A summary of the budget notes that cuts will be achieved by 'reducing or eliminating woke, weaponised and wasteful programmes, and by returning local responsibilities to their respective governments.' President Trump has long signalled a desire to increase the defence budget and boost domestic defence manufacturing. At a recent private event at the White House, he emphasized that military spending should be a priority.Non-defence spending in the proposed budget has fallen by 10%, or about $73bn. Trump's proposed budget would mark a 42% increase over the previous fiscal year, totalling $445bn. Of this total, approximately $1.1trn would be discretionary spending for the Pentagon, the highest on record.The budget also requests pay rises for troops and $65.8 billion in shipbuilding funding, including for the newly announced ‘Golden Fleet’ of next-generation vessels. The construction of the first of these vessels, the USS Defiant, is expected to begin soon, with operational readiness in approximately two and a half years.The budget also includes funding for the Golden Dome project designed to protect the US against advanced missile threats, although its projected costs may significantly impact the overall defense budget.
