Over the next decade, the United States plans to spend $494 billion on its nuclear forces, or about $50 billion a year, according to a 2019 Congressional Budget Office report. This estimate is a 23 percent increase from the CBO’s projected cost at the end of the Obama administration. Over the next three decades, total modernization plans could cost as much as $1.5-$2 trillion.
Recent Analysis on Nuclear Weapons Spending
- Summary: Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (S. 4784) as passed by the Senate Committee on Armed Services July 9, 2026
- The Wrong Way July 8, 2026
- Summary: Fiscal Year 2027 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 8800) as passed by the House Committee on Armed Services June 24, 2026
- France’s New Nukes and the Future of European Security June 8, 2026
- Fiscal Year 2027 Defense Budget Request Briefing Book May 6, 2026
- With Liberty and Justice for Some: with Former Rep. John Tierney April 15, 2026
- Summary: Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (S. 1071) December 12, 2025
- A House of Dynamite, Eisenhower and Lessons for Non-Proliferation November 13, 2025
- One Person’s Pre-Watch Guide to ‘A House of Dynamite’ October 10, 2025
- Summary: Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 3838) as passed by the House Committee on Armed Services September 3, 2025
