National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (Public Law 119-60): $890.6 billion authorized, acquisition reform, troop floors in Europe and Korea

Carry out the « Peace Through Strength » agenda: reform a defense acquisition system judged too slow, improve servicemembers’ quality of life, deter China and other adversaries, and support homeland missile defense.[8][3][14]

According to the House Armed Services Committee and the White House (December 2025)

• Basic pay raise for all servicemembers that the law « supports »

  3.8%

  2026 budget request · according to the House Armed Services Committee and the White House budget office (administration request)[8][9][1]

  The law’s text does not itself set the raise.

• Topline: $890.6 billion authorized for national defense programs within the Armed Services Committees’ jurisdiction ($882.6 billion requested): $855.7 billion for the Department of Defense, $34.3 billion for Department of Energy national security programs and $512 million for defense-related activities. Adding $10.0 billion of adjustments, mainly programs outside that jurisdiction, the budget authority implication is $900.6 billion of discretionary spending.[2][8]
• Breakdown of the authorized amounts: procurement $161.7 billion, research, development, test and evaluation $145.7 billion, operation and maintenance $291.5 billion, military personnel $193.2 billion, other authorizations (mostly the Defense Health Program) $43.9 billion, military construction, family housing and base closures $19.7 billion.[2][1]
• Defense money from the 2025 reconciliation law (P.L. 119-21) is outside the authorization: the joint explanatory statement counts it among mandatory programs ($38.0 billion for the Department of Defense and $3.9 billion for atomic energy defense, estimated outlays), for a discretionary-plus-mandatory national defense total of $971.9 billion. The law requires quarterly reports on its use (section 1006).[2][1]
• Authorized active-duty end strengths at 30 September 2026: Army 454,000, Navy 344,600, Marine Corps 172,300, Air Force 321,500, Space Force 10,400.[1][2]
• Acquisition reform (title XVIII), drawing on the House « SPEED Act »: program managers report to « portfolio acquisition executives » with authority over the plans, budgets and execution of a portfolio of programs; a faster requirements process; commercial products and services first; lighter rules for smaller programs and new entrants.[1][2][8]
• Missile defense: national policy rewritten to reflect the « Golden Dome for America » policy (a « next-generation missile defense shield »); for the « Golden Dome missile defense system », a report with each budget and quarterly briefings to Congress until full operational capability.[1]
• Europe and Ukraine: no funds to reduce U.S. forces in the European Command area below 76,000 for more than 45 days, or to give up the NATO Supreme Allied Commander role, until 60 days after a certification and an assessment; the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative gets $400 million for fiscal year 2026 and $400 million for 2027 and is extended to the end of 2029; basing decisions must weigh allies’ progress toward NATO’s Hague commitment (5% of GDP by 2035, at least 3.5% for core defense).[1][2]
• Indo-Pacific: no funds to bring U.S. forces in South Korea below about 28,500, or to depart from the agreed plan for transferring wartime operational control, before a certification; up to $1 billion for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative in fiscal year 2026; Pacific Deterrence Initiative extended.[1][8]
• Repeal of the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for use of military force against Iraq (section 8370). The law also carries the Department of State, Intelligence and Coast Guard authorization acts (divisions E to G).[1][9]