Senate Armed Services presses Pentagon on FY2026 budget, Golden Dome and industrial-base gaps

At a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, members questioned whether the Department of Defense's fiscal year 2026 budget request provides the detail and sustained funding needed to restore readiness, modernize weapons and shore up munitions and shipbuilding capacity.

The committee's chairman opened the hearing by flagging what he called "numerous significant holes" in the request and warning that projected spending could leave defense below 3% of GDP in future years. "We will spend today reviewing the numerous significant holes in this request," he said, listing shipbuilding, tactical fighters and maintenance shortfalls as examples.

The department defended the request as a multibillion-dollar increase intended to accelerate modernization. Secretary Hegseth said the administration's plan combines a $961,600,000,000 base request with reconciliation funding and other savings, and described the request as "a generational increase in defense capabilities." He highlighted what he called major investments in a layered homeland missile-defense effort he termed "Golden Dome," and in nuclear modernization and shipbuilding.

Why it matters: The hearing focused on whether the budget as submitted provides predictable, multi-year funding that the industrial base needs to ramp production of munitions, ships and aircraft. Several senators said they were concerned the administration had left key investments to a separate reconciliation package rather than the base defense appropriation, which could leave the department vulnerable if reconciliation provisions change or are not enacted.

Key details and committee concerns

- Budget totals and reconciliation: Committee members repeatedly contrasted an Office of Management and Budget (OMB) figure they cited of roughly $893,000,000,000 in baseline defense spending with the department's presentation that combines the base request and reconciliation to reach higher totals. The chairman and others warned that relying on reconciliation could produce a flat baseline in later years and put defense spending below 3% of GDP. Secretary Hegseth answered several times that his team built a budget "to $960,000,000,000" and that the administration had identified about $30,000,000,000 in savings reallocated within the department.

- Golden Dome and testing capacity: The budget request includes $25,000,000,000 described by the department as a down payment for a multilayer homeland defense architecture termed Golden Dome. Senators asked whether the department has sufficient testing and evaluation capacity to validate a system meant to counter advanced threats including hypersonics, multiple reentry vehicles and complex salvo attacks. Senator Kelly cautioned that the physics and operational requirements make such a system challenging and urged the department to validate concepts before committing very large sums.

- Shipbuilding, fighters and munitions: Secretary Hegseth said the budget would revitalize shipbuilding with an FY2026 infusion of $6,000,000,000 for the shipbuilding industrial base on top of $47,000,000,000 overall for shipbuilding. Committee members voiced concern about near-term ship gaps reported in the request (including a cited decision to zero out certain destroyer buys in the FY2026 baseline) and emphasized the need for predictable, multi-year procurement profiles. Senators Fisher and others pressed for clearer timelines and funding lines to accelerate munitions production and industrial-base resilience.

- Nuclear modernization and program funding paths: Lawmakers raised questions about programs funded in reconciliation text rather than the base budget. Senator Fisher and others argued that programs such as Sentinel and other nuclear modernization efforts require sustained base budgeting rather than being dependent on reconciliation allocations.

What the department said

Secretary Hegseth defended the broader envelope and said the budget's investments "match capabilities to threats" and include what he called $62,000,000,000 for nuclear forces and specific investments in next-generation systems such as a proposed sixth-generation fighter (the F-47) and accelerated shipbuilding. General Dan Kane, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, told the panel the request supports a joint force focused on lethality, modernization and integrated capabilities.

Remaining gaps and follow-up

Committee members repeatedly asked for more granular, multi-year detail and for clear allocations between the base request and reconciliation text. Senators said they expect the department to provide timelines and programmatic milestones for munitions scale-up, shipbuilding steadiness and Golden Dome testing. Chairman Wicker and other members signaled they will continue to press the department for documentation and may use appropriations and authorization processes to secure sustained funding paths.

The hearing proceeded into classified questioning after the public session; the committee requested follow-up letters on timelines and authorities for munitions production, cyber hiring and counter-UAS capabilities.

Ending

Lawmakers left the public session with open questions about how much of the administration's FY2026 defense plan depends on reconciliation and whether the submission provides the multi-year detail the industrial base and Congress need to make long-term procurement decisions. Committee members asked the department to return with more specific funding timelines and testing plans before major programs receive final congressional approval.