Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has a bold message for the world regarding President Trump’s newly proposed defense budget. He’s calling the massive $1.5 trillion spending goal a definitive “message to the world” about reestablishing America’s military dominance, according to The Hill‘s report.
For context, the defense budget usually hovers around $900 billion and has never even touched $1 trillion before. This proposal represents an increase of more than 50 percent from the estimated $901 billion spent in fiscal year 2026, which already saw its fair share of military operations.
Last week, President Trump pressed Congress to adopt the huge figure, arguing it’d allow the country to build its “dream military.” He wrote on Truth Social, “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 added that 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.”
If Congress approves it, this $1.5 trillion budget for 2027 would be the largest Pentagon budget in history
Secretary Hegseth delivered his strong remarks to employees at the Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, Texas. He emphasized that the administration is “rebuilding our military.” He called the increase a key part of “rebuilding the arsenal of freedom.” He noted, “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.”
Hegseth promised that the Defense Department will use the funding “wisely.” They plan to “make sure we’re squeezing everything possible into the best capabilities in the world.” He specifically mentioned the incredible F-35 fighter jet, which Lockheed manufactures, as an example of where the money needs to go.
However, the administration is demanding results from its partners. President Trump issued an executive order last week aimed directly at defense contractors. This order caps executive pay and limits things like stock buybacks and dividends, all part of an effort to address delayed timelines and cost overruns in delivering essential weapons systems.
The president has been vocal about his frustration with the current pace of delivery. President Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post that, “Defense Companies are not producing our Great Military Equipment rapidly enough and, once produced, not maintaining it properly or quickly.”
Recently having targeted Mark Kelly over “seditious” statements, Hegseth echoed this urgency while speaking at Lockheed. He reminded the industry that the mission is “not just about Wall Street and dividends and stock buybacks.” He continued that, “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.”
Published: Jan 13, 2026 02:30 pm