The White House has asked Congress for a record-breaking $1.5 trillion (£1.1 trillion) defense budget, marking the largest expansion of American military spending since 1945.

The proposal, which represents a 42% increase over the previous year, seeks to fund a radical overhaul of the US military machine, including a space-based missile shield and a “Golden Fleet” of heavily armed battleships.

To pay for the surge, President Donald Trump has called for a 10% cut to non-defense spending, targeting climate, housing, and education programmes. The president argued that social services like “daycare, Medicaid, and Medicare” should be handled by individual states, leaving the federal government to focus on “military protection.”

‘The Golden Dome’ and the ‘Golden Fleet’

The centrepiece of the request is the Golden Dome, a multi-layered interceptor system designed to protect the US mainland from drones and next-generation missiles. While the administration has budgeted $185bn for the project, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) warns that the space-based sensors alone could eventually cost over $542bn.

The budget also allocates $65.8bn for shipbuilding to counter China’s naval dominance. Key highlights include:

• Trump-class Battleships: The construction of the USS Defiant, the first of a new class of heavily armed vessels, is expected to begin shortly.
• Rapid Deployment: The president claims the first ships will be operational within 30 months.
• Reconciliation: The administration plans to use a “procedural shortcut” in the Senate to pass $350bn of this funding with a simple majority.

Analysis: A ‘Guns vs Butter’ Showdown

The $1.5tn request is separate from the $200bn already sought for the ongoing war in Iran. By pairing this military surge with deep domestic cuts, the White House is forcing a fundamental debate over the role of the US federal government.

The administration’s summary explicitly targets what it calls “woke, weaponised, and wasteful” programmes. However, experts warn that the sheer scale of the Golden Dome and the new naval fleet could “soak up” most of the US discretionary spending for decades to come.

With the US now effectively on a “wartime footing,” the President is betting that voters will prioritise national security over the social safety net. But with China currently leading in total shipbuilding output, the “Defiant” strategy is as much an industrial gamble as it is a military one.

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