Defense Intelligence
for Decision Makers

The Pentagon will amend its fiscal 2027 budget submission to request funding for E-7 Wedgetail airborne early warning aircraft, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told the House Appropriations Committee Tuesday, marking a complete reversal of the Department's earlier position. The original fiscal 2027 budget contained no E-7 funding despite congressional intervention earlier this year that appropriated over $1 billion for the program after previous cancellation attempts....

The Congressional Budget Office released a cost analysis Tuesday estimating the Golden Dome national missile defense system at $1.2 trillion over two decades, with acquisition costs exceeding $1 trillion....

The defense sector has contributed approximately $5 million to congressional campaigns through political action committees and individual donations in 2026, according to Federal Election Commission records analyzed by NOTUS and OpenSecrets. Contributions from traditional prime contractors including Lockheed Martin, RTX, and Northrop Grumman, alongside emerging defense technology firms such as Anduril, represent a fraction of total congressional campaign funding but provide significant political influence through targeted donations to lawmakers overseeing defense policy....

The United States has spent an estimated $29 billion in military operations against Iran, Pentagon officials testified Tuesday during congressional budget hearings. Acting Defense Department Comptroller Jules Hurst III attributed the $4 billion increase from two weeks prior to updated equipment repair and replacement costs, along with general operational expenses for forces deployed to the theater....

American allies outspent the United States on defense in purchasing power-adjusted terms in 2025, marking a significant shift in global military expenditure, according to an analysis by the Economist using Stockholm International Peace Research Institute data. U....

NATO is establishing a counter-unmanned aerial systems marketplace enabling member nations to procure vetted C-UAS solutions through accelerated acquisition processes, part of the alliance's Rapid Adoption Action Plan adopted in June 2025. The alliance invited companies to submit C-UAS proposals by mid-May and will select 18 systems within one to two months, with contracts finalized by summer, Claudio Palestini, NATO head of innovation and technology adoption, announced Monday....