“We are rebuilding the arsenal of freedom,” Hegseth said. “We had a historic budget last year, [and] I don’t know if you saw, the president announced the goal of $1.5 trillion for our national defense budget in 2027. That is a message to the world.”
Trump last week urged Congress to approve the increase, saying it would enable the United States to build what he described as its “dream military”. “After long and difficult negotiations with Senators, Congressmen, Secretaries, and other Political Representatives, I have determined that, for the Good of our Country, especially in these very troubled and dangerous times, our Military Budget for the year 2027 should not be $1 Trillion Dollars, but rather $1.5 Trillion Dollars,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“This will allow us to build the ‘Dream Military’ that we have long been entitled to and, more importantly, that will keep us SAFE and SECURE, regardless of foe,” Trump added. If approved, the figure would be the largest Pentagon budget in history, far above the usual level of around $900 billion.
Hegseth said the Defence Department would use the funds “wisely” to ensure it delivers the best possible capabilities, including systems such as the F-35 fighter jet. He also referred to Trump’s recent executive order to cap defence contractor executive pay and restrict dividends and stock buybacks in response to cost overruns and delivery delays.
“Defense Companies are not producing our Great Military Equipment rapidly enough and, once produced, not maintaining it properly or quickly,” Trump wrote in another Truth Social post. Hegseth told employees that the industry is “not just about Wall Street and dividends and stock buybacks,” adding, “It’s about the Warriors and what we can deliver as fast as possible to them… President Trump’s deadly serious about this. He feels the urgency of the moment, and so do I.”
Source: The Hill.
