Last week, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth along with the Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, General Dan Caine, faced lawmakers in both House and the Senate to argue for President Donald Trump's $1.5 trillion military budget for 2027, reported Fox News.
"[This] budget will ensure the United States continues to maintain the world's most powerful and capable military, as we grapple with a complex threat environment across multiple theaters," Hegseth said last Wednesday to the House Armed Services Committee.
On Thursday, they stood before the Senate Armed Services Committee, where the chairman and other Republicans on the panel planned to push the budget increase to be used on rebuilding military manufacturing in the U.S.
The time before committees was used also to address the war in Iran. So far, the Pentagon has estimated the cost of Operation Epic Fury to be around $25 billion.
Retired Navy Commander Kirk Lippold is a national defense analyst and adjunct professor at the United States Naval Academy. He admits $1.5 trillion is a large increase.
"Part of that is because for years, the United States has under-invested, and we've always had to deal with this requirement from the Democrats that any increase in defense spending must have a commensurate increase in domestic spending as well,” states Lippold.
He emphasizes that the U.S. should build up a capable military.
“The United States needs to build a big enough and capable enough military that, number one, can deter conflict, but should an enemy choose to engage us, we must have the capability to defeat them decisively on our terms," states Lippold.
Lippold says this new budget is significant in several ways.
"From the Golden Dome, to the ship building requirements, to the replenishing ammunition stocks, to taking care of the troops by getting a pay increase and to increasing the size of the force,” lists Lippold. “All these things go into putting the United States on a footing that is going to deter our enemies long before we have to engage them in combat."
