The outgoing US Defense Minister, Lloyd Austin, has recommended a 50 billion US dollar increase in defense spending for 2026 in a letter to the US Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that has been made available to the press by Bloomberg.
Austin’s recommendation, presented in a November 27 letter, is separate from the question of whether President-elect Donald Trump will adopt the proposal after taking office on January 20, according to Bloomberg. Trump’s nominee for Defense Minister, Pete Hegseth, is expected to be questioned on his stance on defense spending during a hearing in the Senate on Tuesday.
Austin’s proposed five-year defense plan, which spans from 2026 to 2028, envisions expenditures of 926.5 billion US dollars in 2026, 972.8 billion US dollars in 2027, and over 1 trillion US dollars in 2028.
In his letter, Austin pointed out that the funding for the Pentagon does not include aid for Ukraine and Israel. Additionally, his proposal does not provide for the replacement of weapons delivered to Ukrainian and Israeli forces, according to Bloomberg.
Austin did not provide a justification for the need for the increased defense spending, except for supporting the national security strategy, which includes countering China and strengthening alliances.
In his letter, Austin also called for defense spending to increase to 3% of the GDP in the fiscal years 2027-2030. The OMB had previously estimated that US defense spending in the 2024 fiscal year accounted for 3.2% of the GDP, according to Bloomberg.