Someone wrote on social platform X: "The US Department of Defense's first trillion - dollar budget will soon be introduced. The president will restore our armed forces, and it will be soon." They added that the Department of Defense is prepared to use every taxpayer dollar rationally. If the US defense budget reaches one trillion dollars in the next fiscal year, it will break historical records. Undoubtedly, this would be the largest defense budget in US history.
In 2025, the US defense budget was 841 billion dollars. A sudden increase of over 100 billion dollars is no small sum. Before the Russia - Ukraine war, Russia's annual defense expenditure was only 50 billion dollars. A few days ago, it was reported that the US military was considering reducing the regular army to 90,000. However, this seems to be false news. With a significant reduction in the number of US troops, it's impossible to spend such a large amount of money.
In 2024, the US GDP was 29.2 trillion dollars. If the US defense budget reaches one trillion dollars in 2026, defense spending will exceed 3%. Currently, the average defense spending of countries around the world is about 2.3%, and the US defense spending far exceeds this average. Defense spending isn't necessarily better when it's higher. After all, the overall resources are limited. If more is spent on defense, other sectors will have to cut back, which will affect the country's coordinated development. 5% is a warning line, 10% is a dangerous line, and 15% is a life - and - death line. During the arms race between the former Soviet Union and the US, the Soviet Union's defense spending reached as high as 15% at its peak, which ultimately became the straw that broke the camel's back.
Since taking office, some false impressions have been created. One is that the person doesn't like war. They once boasted that they would end the Russia - Ukraine war within 24 hours after taking office, even creating an image of loving peace. The other is that they've been vigorously cutting government agencies and personnel through a so - called government efficiency department, giving the public the impression of streamlining the government to save money and pay off debts. However, facts have proven that these are all false. They've engaged in all the necessary wars, such as attacking the Houthi armed forces and threatening to use force against Iran. They just don't dare to fight against major and powerful countries.
Now, they've proposed a one - trillion - dollar military budget, breaking US historical records. There's no sign of cost - saving at all. There's a view that proposing such a large military budget is an attempt to please several major US military - industrial complexes. After all, most of this money will be spent on purchasing weapons, equipment, and combat information systems. It's reported that the US military - industrial complexes are very powerful and can influence relevant US government policies behind the scenes, and the president is just their spokesperson. There's really a big suspicion about this.
A one - trillion - dollar military budget is no small amount. The final decision on how much the US will spend on defense will be made by the US Senate. The president only has the right to propose, not to decide. The current news only comes from someone's social media, not even an official announcement from the Pentagon. So, its authenticity and accuracy are still questionable. This person always likes to create big news, and it's hard to say whether it will be implemented. Let's just wait and see!
