President Donald Trump is set to raise the Pentagon’s budget despite promises to slash government spending during his presidential campaign drastically.
Can the US afford this, and where will the extra money come from?
The Road to a $1 Trillion Defense Budget for America
According to the data supplied by Statista, the US reportedly spends more than the following nine countries combined. “China was the second largest military spender with an estimated 296 billion US dollars spent.”
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating: If China’s military is building all of these fighter aircraft and pumping out all of these naval vessels, there is no way that they are spending the same amount of money as the US Air Force budget.
National Review wrote, “China’s defense budget grew significantly, with some estimates putting the regime’s actual spending (as opposed to the smaller official figure) at close to $800 billion. It also acquired a world-class nuclear arsenal and new bases overseas.” But that isn’t the point.
The US Is Facing A Coalition Of Malign Actors
When discussing the new Pentagon spending budget, President Trump said, “We have to be strong, because you got a lot of bad forces out there now.”
That isn’t hyperbole. China has put together an alliance of convenience with Russia, Iran, and other bad actors around the globe, but make no mistake, the Chinese Communist Party is pulling the strings. And they are pushing the US and trying to stretch the already depleted US military even thinner.
With the 145 percent tariffs that the US has leveled on China, they’ve been trying to court the EU in the ongoing trade war, but so far, not much has changed.
While the Trump defense budget of $1 trillion sounds like a lot, and it is, the increase isn’t nearly as drastic as some would have you believe. The expected budget request for this coming year was already approximately $950 billion.
In a note to investors, TD Cowen analyst Roman Schweizer wrote, “Based on last year’s Green Book, we assume this means a $50B increase for 050 National Defense, which was projected at $951B for the FY26 request.”
Some of that increase could go to the Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons programs.
How Will The Government Pay For This
The government is spending an extra $50 billion on the FY26 Defense Budget, an increase from the $951 billion already earmarked for the budget. But where will the additional money come from?
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced last week that the DoD has cut $5.1 billion in wasteful Defense Department contracts.
“That’s with a ‘B’; $5.1 billion in DOD contracts for ancillary things like consulting and other nonessential services,” Hegseth said. Some cuts include $1.8 billion in consulting contracts the Defense Health Agency awarded to various private sector firms, a $1.4 billion enterprise cloud IT services contract awarded to a software reseller, and a $500 million Navy contract for business process consulting.
“We need this money to spend on better health care for our warfighters and their families, instead of $500 an hour business process consultant,” Hegseth said. “That’s a lot of consulting.”
The Secretary is also cutting a $500 million contract awarded to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for IT help desk services that are “completely duplicative” of services that the Defense Information Systems Agency already provides.
Additionally, Hegseth said the department is cutting 11 contracts related to diversity, equity and inclusion, climate change, the department’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and related nonessential activities across DOD.
“We are committed to rooting out DEI—root and branch—throughout this department … [And] I’m going to keep looking,” Hegseth added.
While many have criticized the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) for not laying a glove on the Pentagon, Hegseth claims that, so far, DOGE has cut $6 billion in wasteful spending in the first six weeks of DOGE.
Thus far, DOGE has cut about $150 billion in wasteful spending, which would more than cover the Pentagon’s increased budget spending. However, there is also the factor of increasing the national debt, which is already far too high.
The budget will likely increase the national debt significantly over the next few years. A 10-year projection by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the debt will rise by $23.9 trillion. This increase is primarily driven by projected annual deficits, which are expected to rise from $1.9 trillion this year to $2.5 trillion by 2035.
The U.S. Military Budget Is Three Percent of the GDP
One interesting fact is that while President Trump has been after our NATO allies to spend more on their own defense, stating that NATO members should spend 5 percent of their GDP on defense, this mammoth Pentagon budget is slated to be a shade under three percent of the US GDP.
LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. – F-22 Raptors from the 1st Fighter Wing sit in position on the runway during the Elephant Walk at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, Jan. 31, 2025. The surge was designed to showcase the wing’s operational readiness and its ability to rapidly mobilize airpower. The 1st FW operates F-22 Raptors and T-38 Talons, maintaining combat capabilities that enable the U.S. Air Force to execute missions across the globe. With a focus on air superiority, the 1st FW plays a critical role in defending the nation’s interests. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Matthew Coleman-Foster)
If the US spent four percent of its GDP on defense, the Pentagon budget would rise to $1.4 trillion. The US ranks 21st in military spending as a percentage of the country’s GDP.
While fiscal reasons abound to be careful with military spending, it is necessary as our qualitative edge across the board needs to be kept. How expensive would losing a war to China and its allies of convenience cost?
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a 19FortyFive National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing for 19FortyFive, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
