Part of the administration’s “two bills, one budget” approach to Fiscal Year 2026 defence spending, the bill allocates $150 billion to military funding. A significant portion of this amount is earmarked to begin construction on President Trump’s planned “Golden Dome” missile defence shield.
In addition to the missile defence system, $26.5 billion is dedicated to shipbuilding, authorising the procurement of 16 battleforce ships. The plan includes one Virginia-class attack submarine, two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, one America-class amphibious assault ship and one San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock.
Also included are nine Landing Ship Mediums and two John Lewis-class fleet oilers. Other military priorities covered by the bill include munitions and broader defence infrastructure.
Lawmakers involved in negotiations have characterised the reconciliation package as a one-time supplement to the annual defence budget, intended for use over a four-year period. However, the White House has included the reconciliation funds in the FY 2026 budget submission, which the Pentagon released last week.
Following the budget release, the Pentagon removed several Navy budget documents from its website, including the executive summary outlining the split between base and reconciliation funding. Pentagon officials have not provided a reason for the removal of these materials.
The base budget request for FY 2026 separately includes $20.8 billion for the construction of three battleforce ships. These comprise one Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarine, one Virginia-class attack boat and one T-AGOS ocean surveillance ship.
