President Donald Trump, alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, has announced plans to significantly increase the Pentagon’s budget to over $1 trillion for the first time in history. This decision comes during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where Trump revealed that the new budget would be “in the vicinity” of $1 trillion, a substantial rise from this year’s $850 billion allocation.
Hegseth highlighted this monumental budget proposal on social media, stating that the Trump administration is rapidly working to strengthen the military. The current budget for national security programs, which includes the Department of Defense along with nuclear weapons development and other security agencies, stands at $892 billion. Transitioning to a $1 trillion budget would represent a 12% increase.
Interestingly, this push for a larger budget arrives at a time when the Pentagon is implementing cuts, aiming for an 8% reduction in each program over the next five years to focus on modernization. In addition, plans are in place to reduce the civilian workforce by tens of thousands and streamline bases worldwide.
Trump emphasized the significance of this proposed budget, stating, “I’m proud to say, actually, the biggest one we’ve ever done for the military. $1 trillion. Nobody has seen anything like it.” He predicted that this funding would lead to a stronger and more powerful military presence.
White House officials are expected to provide detailed budget plans for the fiscal year 2026 in the coming months, before Congress begins the appropriations process. However, even with this substantial budget increase, the U.S. would still be short of Trump’s target for NATO nations to allocate 5% of their budgets to defense.
The president assured that the financial boost would enable the production of advanced military equipment and technologies. Highlighting new projects, Trump mentioned a recent Navy contract for the F-47 sixth-generation fighter jet, anticipated to cost around $20 billion over the next few years.
In closing, Trump expressed optimism about the future of U.S. military capabilities, stating, “We’ve never had the kind of aircraft, the kind of missiles, anything that we have ordered. This is a next level.”
