By John Isaacs and Samuel M. Hickey Pentagon missile defense costs could soar to a massive $176 billion between 2020 and 2029, a 40% increase, according to a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report. Since programs were first launched in the 1950s to build systems capable of intercepting incoming long-distance nuclear or conventional weapons, the United States has spent more than $400 billion* on various missile […]
Fact Sheet: The Nuclear Triad
Updated May 12, 2025 The U.S. nuclear arsenal comprises thousands of nuclear weapons and three methods of delivery, sometimes called “legs.” Warheads can be launched from the air via strategic bombers carrying gravity bombs or cruise missiles, from the sea by submarines holding ballistic missiles, or from underground silos housing intercontinental ballistic missiles. Collectively, these […]
Brief Summary of Fiscal Year 2021 Defense and Energy and Water Appropriations Bills
By John Isaacs and Monica Montgomery In an end-of-the-year burst of energy after months of bitter disagreements and procrastination, Congress finally approved the fiscal year 2021 omnibus appropriations bill on December 21. The bill, totaling $1.4 trillion across 12 individual appropriations bills, was packaged with a $900 billion coronavirus relief bill and other various measures, totaling 5,593 pages. In a late-night session, the House took two separate votes on the measure, passing four appropriations bills, including the Department of Defense bill, 327-85 and […]
How is the National Defense Authorization Act passed?
The NDAA process, explained
By Monica Montgomery The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) authorizes appropriations and establishes policy for the Department of Defense (DOD), nuclear weapons programs at the Department of Energy (DOE), defense intelligence programs, and other defense activities of the federal government (e.g., military construction projects, homeland security programs). The Defense Department is one of the only […]
