$1.5 trillion plan: Pentagon pushes golden fleet and AI army for Trump
Photo: US Navy fleet (Facebook/US Navy)
The Pentagon has requested an unprecedented sum of 1.5 trillion dollars for the fiscal year 2027. This is the most expensive military budget in modern US history, exceeding last year's figures by 42%, reports Military Times.
Trump's plan calls for a comprehensive overhaul of defense. The priority is the multi-layered Golden Dome air defense shield, artificial intelligence, and unmanned systems. Money is no object - the Air Force will receive 33.6% more funding, the Navy 24.3% more, and the Army 23.9% more. Military personnel are also promised a 5-7% pay raise.
Deputy Secretary of Defense and Chief Financial Officer Jules J. Hurst III stated that the country faces the most complex threat environment in the last 250 years. America's adversaries are rapidly advancing in every domain - from land to space.
"This is a generational investment in the United States military," Hurst emphasized.
Golden Fleet and Trump-class battleships
The Pentagon's proposal includes the creation of a powerful Golden Fleet. The centerpiece will be new Trump-class battleships, with over 65 billion dollars planned for their construction.
This refers to 18 warships and 16 support vessels. America has not seen such a shipbuilding request since 1962. The fleet is intended to serve as the foundation of American dominance on the world's oceans.
Drone army and artificial intelligence
Since drones now dominate the skies rather than aircraft, $53.6 billion is allocated to autonomous platforms and UAVs. Another 21 billion will go toward technologies to counter enemy drones.
The US will develop advanced unmanned systems:
- Collaborative Combat Aircraft (unmanned wingman aircraft);
- MQ-25 (refueling drones);
- Next-generation munitions systems.
Separately, 64.5 billion dollars will be directed to missiles, armored vehicles, and helicopters. The procurement list includes proven Patriot and THAAD interceptors, as well as precision-guided strike missiles.
Conflict of priorities: Military vs. healthcare
The budget has already sparked a scandal, as military funding was planned even before the start of Operation Epic Fury against Iran, which began on February 28. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth hinted that the Pentagon will need an additional 200 billion dollars on top to support combat operations.
A coalition of 289 civic groups has already called on lawmakers to reject this request. They call it extremely irresponsible.
"Funding an unaccountable Pentagon by more than $1 trillion while underfunding human needs programs undermines our security by preventing us from investing in the shared prosperity that comes from more housing, health care, climate and public health protections, ending hunger, and providing quality public education," the activists' statement reads.
Donald Trump responded harshly to the criticism. During a closed Easter lunch, he explained that social programs should be funded by states, not the federal government.
"We're fighting wars. It’s not possible for us to take care of daycare. Medicaid, Medicare, all these individual things. They can do it on a state basis, you can’t do it on a federal. We have to take care of one thing: military protection. We have to guard the country," the US president said.
What is the current state of the US Army?
Due to missile shortages amid the wars in Iraq and Ukraine, the US may expand production of all necessary equipment by leveraging the civilian industry. The Pentagon is already in talks with major automakers and industrial companies in the US.
In addition, the US is actively learning from Ukraine's approach to warfare. According to US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, this concerns the field of innovation.
The US Department of Defense is also trying to fix America's Achilles' heel in terms of satellite communications. Due to a global Starlink outage, two dozen US Navy maritime drones drifted off the coast of California for an hour after losing control.
