The Pentagon wants to buy a lot more fighter jets and Navy ships in FY2027. But not all of those purchases are getting the base budget treatment, raising questions about how realistic — and lasting — those requested investments could be.
Take a look at the F-35 program, the most expensive weapon system in history. Preliminary Defense Department tables show military leaders want to buy 85 of the planes next year. But the vast majority of them would be bankrolled through a partisan reconciliation package that faces tough odds.
The strategy of funding major military hardware programs through an uncertain extrabudgetary process will surely be an area of scrutiny for defense hawks in both parties in the weeks and months ahead. It remains an open question to what extent defense appropriators will seek to shift some of these purchases from the $350 billion reconciliation package into the $1.15 trillion DOD base budget request.
