Significant increase over FY25, but nearly a quarter of funds hinge on legislative approval — with key programs facing cuts and delays
The Pentagon is planning to request approximately $205 billion for procurement in fiscal year 2026, representing an 18 percent increase over the enacted FY25 budget. This boost is largely driven by substantial investments in programs such as the F-15EX and Army munitions, though the future of funding for the F-35 remains uncertain. A notable complication: about $51 billion of this total depends on the passage of President Donald Trump’s controversial reconciliation bill in Congress. Without it, the procurement figure could dip to roughly $153 billion—a significant reduction from FY25’s $174 billion.
Unprecedented Budget Dynamics and Potential Revisions
According to budget documents obtained by Breaking Defense, the draft submissions may not yet be final; some pages—particularly in the shipbuilding section—appear to be missing or incomplete, hinting at possible revisions before official public release in upcoming weeks. Moreover, the Pentagon has reportedly submitted two distinct spending proposals to the House Appropriations Committee: one assuming reconciliation passes and another without. This dual approach has created frustration among lawmakers, with Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., demanding transparency. “We don’t have any details on where you’re going,” she said during a congressional hearing, emphasizing the need for clear “dollars and cents” before approving funding.
Service-by-Service Breakdown
Air Force The Air Force’s FY26 procurement plan shows increased spending in key areas:
- Aircraft procurement of $24.8 billion, with $7.1 billion from reconciliation.
- Missiles at $6.2 billion, including $1.9 billion from reconciliation.
- Ammunition at $784 million, fully from the base budget.
Beneficiaries include:
- Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider, requesting $4.7 billion (including $2.1 billion reconciliation).
- 21 F-15EX jets for $2.5 billion, all reconciliation funds.
- Replacement trainer aircraft (T-7A Red Hawk), with $362.1 million for 14 units.
- KC-46A Pegasus tanker procurement at $2.8 billion for 15 aircraft.
- New programs like the hypersonic Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW), with $387.1 million allocated.
- Family of Affordable Mass Missiles (FAMM), with $656.3 million for around 3,000 units.
- The F-35 program sees a cut: only 24 F-35As for $3.6 billion, down from 44 in FY25.
Space Force The Space Force’s FY26 procurement request totals about $3.66 billion (including reconciliation), down from $3.94 billion last year. Key points:
- Slight reductions across several programs, such as the Family of Beyond Line-of-Sight Terminals.
- A drop in NSSL launches from seven to four, costing $1.47 billion.
- Significant increase in SDA satellite launches, requesting $648 million for seven launches.
- Decline in GPS IIIF satellite procurement, requesting only $110 million (vs. $647 million in FY25); the House Appropriations bill proposes funding for more satellite launches than requested.
Navy and Marine Corps The combined FY26 procurement request is approximately $62.9 billion, with an additional $32.3 billion from reconciliation. Important details:
- The Navy aims to procure two Virginia-class submarines, but much relies on reconciliation funding, with the base budget requesting only $816 million for the program.
- The budget excludes funding for Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Constellation-class frigates—both Congress historically funds annually.
- No new F/A-18 Super Hornets are requested; focus shifts to the next-generation strike fighter, with 12 F-35Cs and 11 F-35Bs included in the request.
- The Navy’s aviation procurement requests total $17 billion in the base budget, with minimal reconciliation.
Army The Army’s FY26 procurement request totals $28.4 billion, a nearly $3 billion increase over FY25:
- Missile programs dominate, with $8 billion planned, including funds for the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense, Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense, and hypersonic weapons.
- Procurement of 44 Precision Strike Missiles (PrSMs), along with ammunition for Javelins and GMLRS rockets.
- Modernization programs such as the M1 Abrams upgrade, Stryker vehicles, Paladin artillery, and robotic systems face cuts or delays.
- Army aircraft spending is slated at $3 billion, including funds for Black Hawks, Chinooks, and flexible “agile” budgets to buy systems outside traditional congressional approval processes.
- Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
- The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) shows a reduction in the topline budget for FY26 compared to FY25. However, this apparent decline may be due to the absence of certain baseline and reconciliation figures for major programs like the Ground Based Midcourse Segment, Next-Generation Interceptor, and the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense program in the submitted budget documents.
- Notably, the procurement requests for the THAAD terminal defense system have increased significantly, with the FY26 baseline requesting $523 million for 25 units and the reconciliation bill adding another 12 units for a total of 37 units at approximately $840 million. Similarly, the agency is requesting funds for the Defense of Guam and other critical missile defense systems, reflecting ongoing investment in missile defense capabilities despite the overall budget presentation suggesting a decrease.
