America's $1.1 Trillion National Security Budget

In the first budget of the Trump administration, defense agencies are asking taxpayers to pay $1.1 trillion for our national security budget.

May 24, 2017

By Mandy Smithberger

(Sources: Table 25-1 from Analytical Perspectives and Table 26-1 Budget by Agency and Account in 2018 OMB Budget)

Mandy Smithberger

Mandy Smithberger is the director of the Center for Defense Information at POGO.

Waste Pentagon Budget Oversight Spending Center for Defense Information

Photo collage. U.S. soldiers and pilots walk towards a Pentagon building that is deconstructed into empty shapes and shapes filled with hundred dollar bills.

The True Total U.S. Military Budget

There are several ways to calculate the true cost of our military. All add up to at least $1.5 trillion — and that's before the proposed half-trillion-dollar increase.

By David Vine, John Bellamy Foster, and Gisela Cernadas

Collage of a military vehicle, a wrench, a clipping of the FY26 NDAA, and money.

Right to Repair Saves Money, Strengthens National Security

Enabling the military to conduct its own repairs and maintenance of equipment saves taxpayer dollars, protects service members, and enhances national security.

By POGO Staff

Editorial collage. Three U.S. Army Soldiers check a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launcher with hundreds of dollar bills shooting out of it. An aerial view of the Strait of Hormuz is visible in the background.

Exquisite Defense Fails in Practice

Operation Epic Fury has revealed the (expensive) gaps in U.S. defense capabilities.

By Virginia Burger

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