Dear Friends,
President Trump’s announcement of his intent to raise defense spending to $1.5 trillion in Fiscal Year 2027 earlier this month, represents a nearly 50 percent year over year increase and a decisive statement of national priority. At roughly five percent of U.S. GDP, this investment would align America’s own commitments with the expectations we have set for our NATO allies and defense partners.
This level of funding is essential to modernizing the Joint Force across every domain where American advantage is being tested. From addressing the shipbuilding shortfall that threatens maritime dominance, to securing the next generation of air superiority, to fielding emerging battlefield technologies at the scale required to deter and win, the demands of the moment leave little room for half measures.
Our adversaries are not waiting for the United States to catch up. The Chinese Communist Party increased its defense budget by 7.2 percent in 2025, while Russia, despite being mired in Ukraine, is estimated to be devoting nearly 40 percent of its GDP to sustaining its war machine.
A $1.5 trillion defense budget is unprecedented. But so is the strategic environment we now face. Amid intensifying great power competition, rising global instability, and rapidly evolving threats to the homeland, it’s time that we take our security seriously and invest in our freedom.
Follow us on X, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook—and help spread the word by sharing our newsletter with friends, family, and veterans in your community. Together, we can preserve the blessings of American liberty.
Signed,
Hooff Cooksey
Executive Director, Veterans On Duty
