Spending, budgeting… wow. Army in the spotlight
The Military Times reports that the new budget for 2026 will include a trillion dollars for the military.
During a press event with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, Trump offered the outline for total defense spending in the fiscal 2026 budget as part of his larger plans for U.S. national security.
“We’re going to be approving a budget, and I’m proud to say, actually, the biggest one we’ve ever done for the military,” he said. “$1 trillion. Nobody has seen anything like it. Military Times
Supposedly the increase will be largely funded by the famous DOGE cuts. Adlai Stevenson’s famous quote comes to mind, doesn’t it?
Meanwhile, supposedly the Army is discussing cutting active duty strength – by up to 90,000 troops.Call it, what, 8 or so divisions?
Internal discussions are exploring trimming the force to between 360,000 and 420,000 troops — down from its current level of roughly 450,000. The potential cuts would mark one of the most dramatic force reductions in years, as military planners aim to reshape the Army from a blunt conventional force into what they hope could be a more agile, specialized instrument better suited for future conflicts. Military.com
The driving force seems to be that the Pentagon considers a war with China in the Pacific, with attendant island-hopping and fewer large land battles, as the most likely. I guess that means Russia, the only country to start a major invasion of another sovereign country, is not considered a threat. Well, everyone was worried we spent too much time worrying about Russia so we should prepare for China now…one hopes we don’t spend so much prepping for China that we fail to worry about Russia. “We are at war with Eastasia, we have always been at war with Eastasia, and Eurasia is our ally.”
Some chilly news for you airborne types. The Army, as part of its budgeting attempts, wants to recode up to 20,000 current airborne positions, so while they will still be airborne billets, jump qualification – and pay – will no longer apply.-
Since 2006, the Army has kept 56,756 paid parachutist positions on its rolls, Anderson said. For reference, the entire force of Army parachutists that jumped into Normandy during World War II was 13,000 troops. Army Times
One of the big questions is whether support units will jump with the actual combat troops or land separately. The Army says it is currently spending a lot of money on keeping all those support folks current and jump qualified so they are being looked at for potential savings.
And to close on a high note, Rep. Brian Mast (R, FL) has introduced a bill to make enlistment and retention bonuses tax-free.
Many of those bonuses are currently taxed at a rate of 20% or more, blunting some of the impact of the financial windfalls for military families. Army Times II
Yeah, screws up your taxes, too – that 20% doesn’t come near to cover how your total income tax is now figured on a radically higher income. It’s early days on this…to be honest, I wouldn’t hold my breath on it passing. Nice gesture, though.
Thanks to Jeff LPH for the last two today!
Oh, and a last titter before we part – Tesla is no longer accepting Tesla trucks as trade-ins. Motorbiscuit Too much new inventory to need used ones. Given the Tesla fallout due to DOGE and the build quality issues (I particularly like actual body panels falling off!) buyers are staying away in droves, and Tesla has a BUNCH of new trucks. Maybe if they mark ’em down to around five grand, hmm?
Category: Army
