Trump signs $1tn annual US defense bill without fanfare | US military
Donald Trump signed into law his nearly $1 trillion annual defense policy bill on Thursday despite provisions passed by Congress providing new aid to Ukraine and curbing the ability of the United States to reduce its involvement in Europe’s defense.
The fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA, authorizes a record $901 billion in annual military spending, $8 billion more than Trump requested.
The sweeping legislation determines everything from how many ships, aircraft and missile systems will be purchased to pay raises for soldiers and how geopolitical threats will be addressed.
The White House announced that the president signed the agreement. It was a quiet affair, with no Oval Office signing ceremony attended by journalists, as is customary during Trump’s second term.
The measure is a compromise that combines separate measures approved by the House and Senate, both under Republican control.
The NDAA includes several provisions aimed at improving security in Europe.
Trump has been nonchalant about improving Europe’s security, arguing that allies should pay their own way. The recently released national security strategy is seen as friendly to Russia, hostile to the European Union, and a reassessment of the United States’ relationship with the continent.
The fiscal year 2026 NDAA provides $800 million ($400 million over the next two years) to Ukraine as part of the Ukraine security assistance initiative, which pays U.S. companies for weapons for the Ukrainian military.
This comes as Trump’s team continues protracted negotiations with Ukraine and Russia in an attempt to stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The defense law also authorizes the Baltic security initiative and provides $175 million to support the defense of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. And it limits the Defense Department’s ability to reduce the number of U.S. forces in Europe to less than 76,000 and prevents the U.S. European commander from giving up the title of NATO commander-in-chief.
The White House said in a statement that Trump supported the bill because it incorporated into law aspects of many of his executive orders, including funding for the “Gold Dome” missile defense system and eliminating diversity, equity and inclusion programs at the Pentagon.
Members of Congress have passed the NDAA every year for 65 years, but that streak nearly ended during Trump’s first term. Embers Vetoed NDAA in December 2020Because he objected to calls to rename military bases and other facilities named after Confederate figures and disagreed with the approach to legal protections for tech companies, among other issues.
But Congress overrode Trump’s veto in January 2021, just before he left office, the only veto override of his first term.
