President Trump’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 budget requests $740.5 billion for annual defense budget authority, a total that includes Department of Defense, Department of Energy nuclear weapons plans and a few other programs. Depending on which budget numbers one uses, that is a small increase of about $2.5 billion from the Fiscal Year 2020 budget or a reduction of $5.5 billion from last year.
The difference is whether to count last year’s widely-used Executive Branch/Congress budget figure ceiling of $738 billion for FY 2020 defense or the $746 billion shown in this year’s budget documents.
In comparison, the diplomacy budget, broadly defined as the international affairs budget, declines from $55.8 billion in FY 2021 to $43.9 billion FY 2022 billion, a reduction of almost $12 billion.
The Overseas Contingency Operations war budget this year is $69 billion; this account, according to the new budget documents, is due to be phased down to $20 billion in FY 2022 and $10 billion in FY 2024, with those funds moved into the Pentagon’s base budget.
At the same time, there are reports that President Trump plans to grab another $7.2 billion from the Pentagon’s military construction budget for the border wall with Mexico.
Nuclear Modernization and Non-Proliferation
The Pentagon and the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Weapons Agency (NNSA) are going on a nuclear weapon binge. While NNSA has yet to release budget details, it issued a press release stating that its nuclear weapons activities’ budget request of $15.6 billion for FY 2021 is 25.2% above the FY 2020 enacted level. Overall, NNSA bragged that the new request of $19.8 billion for NNSA is an increase of $3.1 billion – or 18.4% – above the FY 2020 enacted level. Reportedly, in this year’s budget, the Navy budget lost one Virginia-class submarine to pay for these new nuclear activities.
At the same time, the Pentagon is going full bore on building a new Intercontinental Ballistic Missile, a Columbia-class submarine and the B-21 Raider — all three legs of the nuclear triad and their associated warheads. Overhauling and maintaining the entire nuclear arsenal is estimated to cost approximately $1.7 trillion over 30 years, adjusted for inflation.
Some Items of Interest in This Year’s Budget Request
- Navy shipbuilding in general takes a hit: last year, the Navy requested procurement funds for 12 ships. That number is cut this year to eight with a budget reduction of $4.1 billion.
- The budget projects phasing down the Overseas Contingency Operations from $69 billion in Fiscal Year 2021 to $20 billion in FY 2022 and $10 billion in FY 2024, with the funds transferred to the Pentagon’s base budget.
- The new Space Force, a prize project of the President, will receive $15.4 billion transferred from the Air Force.
- President Trump, in his State of the Union address, boasted, “We have invested a record-breaking $2.2 trillion in the United States military. We have purchased the finest planes, missiles, rockets, ships and every other form of military equipment, and it’s all made right here in the USA.”
- What budget deficit? The administration’s plan to eliminate the federal budget deficit, expected to top $1 trillion this year, has moved the date to the right from 2030 to 2035, many years after President Trump leaves office.
The President’s Request
Net Budget Authority by Function, Category, and Program Request (in billions of current dollars)
| FY 2020 | FY 2021 Funding Request: | Allocated to: |
| $712.6 | $705.4 | Department of Defense Budget (051) |
| $ 24.2 | $ 26.0 | Defense Related Activities at DOE (053) |
| $ 9.2 | $ 9.1 | Other Defense Related Funding (054) |
| $746.0 | $740.5 | Total National Defense Spending Request (050) |
[Source: Table 24-1—Budget Authority and Outlays by Function, Category, and Program]
Defense vs. Diplomacy
While the Pentagon budget continues at a very high level, the international affairs budget is cut in the President’s budget this year by 22% and almost $12 billion. In response to this drastic cut, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Michael Mullen, stated, “The more we cut the International Affairs Budget, the higher the risk for longer and deadlier military operations.”
Projected Future Discretionary Defense Estimates vs. Projected Future Discretionary International Affairs Estimates
Defense International Affairs
FY 2020 $746.0 billion $55.8 billion
FY 2021 $740.5 billion $43.9 billion
FY 2022 $759.0 billion $43.9 billion
FY 2023 $775.0 billion $43.9 billion
FY 2024 $791.0 billion $43.9 billion
FY 2025 $808.0 billion $43.9 billion
[Source: Office of Management and Budget Historical Tables, Table 5.6]
Fiscal Year 2021 Discretionary Defense Request by Function
(in billions of current dollars)
| FY 2020 Estimate: | FY 2021 Funding Request: | Allocated to: | Delta FY20-FY21 |
| $154.7 billion | $163.5 billion | Military Personnel | +8.8 billion |
| $289.6 billion | $288.9 billion | Operations & Maintenance | -.7 billion |
| $143.8 billion | $136.9 billion | Procurement | -6.9 billion |
| $104.5 billion | $106.6 billion | Research and Development (RDT&E) | +2.1 billion |
| $18.2 billion | $8.2 billion | Military Construction/ Family Housing | -10.0 billion |
| $1.8 billion | $1.4 billion | Revolving & Management Funds | -0.5 billion |
| $712.6 billion | $705.4 billion | Total* | -7.2 billion |
*Estimate due to rounding
[Source: Defense Budget Overview, February 2020, Table A-1]
Request for Fiscal Year 2021 Selected Nuclear and Missile Defense Weapons
(in millions of current dollars)
| FY 2020 | FY 2021 | Allocated to: |
| $2,982.5 million | $2,848.4 million | B-21 Raider Long Range Strike Bomber |
| $2,362.0 million | $4,411.9 million | Ohio Submarine Replacement Program (Columbia Class) |
| $108.4 million | $45.4 million | B61 Tail Kit Assembly |
| $557.5 million | $1,524.8 million | Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (ICBM) |
| $712.5 million | $474.4 million | Long range stand off missile |
| $2,202.3 million | $1,735.5 million | Ground based midcourse missile defense (National Missile Defense) |
| $1,703.4 million | $1,709.4 million | Aegis ballistic missile system |
[Source: Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System, Major Weapon Systems Summary]
Note: In the category of try, try again, in the ground-based midcourse defense category, the Pentagon is funding $664 million for a new kill vehicle on top of the missile called the Next Generation Interceptor program. Last year, the Pentagon terminated Boeing’s failed Redesigned Kill Vehicle.
The Pentagon lists $20.3 billion for Missile Defeat and Defense, a new category which includes funding for dual use technologies and programs that serve to mitigate the ballistic missile threat beyond those funded by the Missile Defense Agency.
In addition, the Pentagon budgets $3.2 billion for what it terms “left of launch capabilities” involving hypersonic and cyber strike. [Source: Defense Budget Overview, February 2020]
Funding for Selected Conventional Weapons Systems
AIRCRAFT
| System | FY20 | FY21 Request | Prime Contractor(s) |
| F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
|
$12,612.0 million (98 aircraft) | $11,400.4 million (79 aircraft) | Lockheed Martin (TX); Pratt & Whitney (CT) |
| F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Fighter |
$1,993.6 million (24 aircraft)
|
$2,061.5 million (24 aircraft) | Boeing (MO); General Electric (MA) |
| V-22 Osprey vertical takeoff and landing | $2,149.0 million (14 aircraft) | $1,828.0 million (9 aircraft) | Bell Helicopter (TX); Boeing (PA) |
| C-130J Hercules Military Transport Aircraft |
$2,412.8 million (20 aircraft) |
$1,289.7 million (9 aircraft) | Lockheed Martin (GA) |
| AH-64E Apache Helicopter |
$1,073.7 million (49 aircraft) |
$1,226.2 million (52 aircraft) |
Boeing (AZ); Northrop Grumman (MD); Lockheed Martin (NY) |
| CH-47 Chinook Helicopter | $411.0 million
(9 aircraft) |
$291.6 million
(7 aircraft) |
Boeing (PA) |
| UH-60 Black Hawk Helicopter | $1,690.5 million
(99 aircraft) |
$1,014.4 million
(60 aircraft) |
Sikorsky/Lockheed (CT); Redstone Defense (AL) |
| P-8A Poseidon Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Aircraft | $1,809.6 million
(9 aircraft) |
$269.0 million
(0 aircraft) |
Boeing (WA); CFM International (OH) |
| E-2D Advanced Hawkeye Early Warning Aircraft | $1,442.7
(6 aircraft) |
$1,047.8 million
(4 aircraft) |
Northrop Grumman (NY, FL); Rolls-Royce (IN); Lockheed Martin (NY) |
| F-15 Eagle Fighter
|
$1,952.2 million (8 aircraft) | $2,414.0 million (12 aircraft) | Boeing (MO) |
SHIPBUILDING
| System | FY20 | FY21 Request | Prime Contractor(s) |
| CVN 78 “Ford” Class Nuclear Aircraft Carrier | $2,483.1 million | $3,023.7 million | Huntington Ingalls Ind. (VA) |
| DDG 51 “Arleigh Burke” Destroyer | $6,175.4 million
(3 ships) |
$3,496.3 million
(2 ships) |
General Dynamics (ME)
Huntington Ingalls Ind. (MS) |
| SSN 774 “Virginia” Class Submarine | $8,817.3 million
(2 subs) |
$4,657.8 million
(1 sub) |
General Dynamics (CT)
Huntington Ingalls Ind. (VA) |
[Source: Program Acquisition Costs by Weapon System, Major Weapon Systems Summary]
Fiscal Year 2020 Department of Defense Request by Service
(in billions of current dollars)
| FY 2020 Estimate: | FY 2021 Funding Request: | Allocated to: | Delta FY20-FY21 |
| $178.4 billion | $177.9 | Army | -.5 billion |
| $209.0 billion | $207.1 | Navy | -1.9 billion |
| $205.4 billion | $207.2 | Air Force | +1.8 billion |
| $119.8 billion | $113.2 | Defense-Wide | -6.6 billion |
| $712.6 billion | $705.4 | Total* | -$7.2 billion |
*Estimate due to rounding
[Source: Defense Budget Overview, February 2020, Table A-2]
FY 2021 Active Component End Strengths (in thousands)
Army 485.9
Navy 347.8
Marine Corps 184.1
Air Force 327.3
Space Corps 6.4
Total 1,351.5
Reserves end strength (in thousands)
Army Reserve 189.8
Navy Reserve 58.8
Marine Corps Reserve 38.5
Air Force Reserve 70.3
Army National Guard 336.5
Air National Guard 108.1
Total 802.0
Total active and reserve 2,153.5
[Source: Defense Budget Overview, February 2020, Appendix A-4]
