Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026
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Would appropriate the full FY2026 Department of Defense budget for military personnel pay, operations and maintenance, procurement, and research and development across all active and reserve components — representing one of the largest annual federal spending bills.
The bill also sets $800 million for Ukraine security assistance, $1.5 billion for Taiwan-focused Indo-Pacific security aid, and $500 million for Israeli cooperative missile-defense programs, while imposing dozens of conditions on how all DoD funds may be used.
What this bill would do
What it would do
The bill would appropriate funds for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, covering military personnel pay and benefits for active-duty, reserve, and National Guard members across all services; operation and maintenance of all military branches; procurement of aircraft, ships, missiles, weapons, vehicles, and spacecraft; and research, development, test, and evaluation. It also funds the Defense Health Program, chemical weapons destruction, drug interdiction activities, the Office of the Inspector General, the CIA Retirement and Disability System Fund, and the Intelligence Community Management Account. It authorizes $800 million for Ukraine Security Assistance, $1.5 billion for the Indo-Pacific Security Assistance Initiative benefiting Taiwan, and $500 million for Israeli cooperative missile-defense programs including Iron Dome, Arrow, and short-range ballistic missile defense.
The bill excludes military construction, military family housing, civil works of the Army Corps of Engineers, and nuclear warheads, which are funded in other appropriations acts. Title VIII establishes dozens of conditions on spending, including Buy American requirements, restrictions on transferring Guantanamo detainees, prohibitions on funding the Wuhan Institute of Virology or EcoHealth Alliance activities in China, and limits on reprogramming funds without congressional notification. It also rescinds approximately $2.9 billion in unspent prior-year procurement and R&D funds.
Key provisions
- 1Would appropriate military personnel pay, allowances, and related costs for active-duty Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Space Force, as well as all Reserve and National Guard components.
- 2Would appropriate operation and maintenance funds for all military departments and defense-wide activities, including $342.5 million for the Counter-ISIS Train and Equip Fund and $4.6 billion for foreign security force support.
- 3Would appropriate $29.3 billion for Navy shipbuilding, including Columbia-class submarines, Virginia-class submarines, and DDG-51 destroyers, with funds available through September 30, 2030.
- 4Would appropriate $800 million for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative to provide training, equipment, lethal assistance, and logistics to Ukrainian military and national security forces resisting Russian aggression.
- 5Would appropriate $1.5 billion for the Indo-Pacific Security Assistance Initiative, available to provide defense articles, services, and military training to Taiwan, with 15-day prior congressional notification required.
- 6Would appropriate $500 million for Israeli Cooperative Programs, including Iron Dome procurement, short-range ballistic missile defense, and the Arrow 3 and Arrow System Improvement programs.
- 7Would prohibit transfer or release of Guantanamo Bay detainees to the United States, prohibit construction of U.S. facilities to house such detainees, and bar closure or realignment of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay.
Who would be affected
Active-duty military personnel and their families, whose pay and benefits are funded; reserve component and National Guard members; defense contractors, shipbuilders, and aerospace companies competing for procurement contracts; allied nations including Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and Indo-Pacific and African partners receiving security assistance; Indian tribes eligible for excess military housing transfers; and institutions of higher education receiving DoD research grants.
Why it matters
The bill sets funding levels that determine military readiness, personnel strength, and weapons modernization for the coming fiscal year. Security assistance provisions for Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel directly shape U.S. commitments to ongoing conflicts and deterrence relationships. The $29.3 billion Navy shipbuilding appropriation and large missile and aircraft procurement lines reflect long-term investment priorities for great-power competition. Spending conditions in Title VIII are enforceable constraints that govern how hundreds of billions of dollars flow through the defense enterprise.
What would change
Changes to existing law
Amends CHIPS Act of 2022 (division A of Public Law 117-167) (Sec. 8109)
Constrains presidential allocation authority for the CHIPS for America Defense Fund during FY2026; directs the Secretary of Defense to allocate FY2026 funds per the accompanying committee report table.
Reauthorizes Counter-Islamic State of Iraq and Syria Train and Equip Fund (prior appropriations acts) (Title II)
Continues and funds the Counter-ISIS Train and Equip Fund at $342,516,000 for FY2026, available through September 30, 2027.
Reauthorizes Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (prior appropriations acts) (Sec. 8099)
Continues the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative at $800,000,000 for FY2026, available through September 30, 2027.
Agencies directed to act
Effective dates
- All appropriations for FY2026 take effect; most military personnel and O&M funds expire
- Most procurement accounts' period of availability expires
- Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy funds expire (with engineering exceptions)
- Secretary of Defense must submit reprogramming baseline report to Congress
- Secretary of Defense must allocate CHIPS for America Defense Fund amounts
- National Guard and Reserve component chiefs must submit modernization priority assessments
Funding and costs
- $54,600,301,000
Military Personnel, Army — active-duty pay, allowances, and retirement fund contributions
- $40,471,905,000
Military Personnel, Navy — active-duty pay, allowances, and retirement fund contributions
- $76,440,024,000
Operation and Maintenance, Navy and Marine Corps
- $64,859,289,000
Operation and Maintenance, Air Force
- $29,310,365,000
Shipbuilding and Conversion, Navy — Columbia-class subs, Virginia-class subs, carriers, destroyers, and other vessels
- $49,262,511,000
Research, Development, Test and Evaluation, Air Force
- $41,436,623,000
Defense Health Program — TRICARE and military medical care
- $1,500,000,000
Indo-Pacific Security Assistance Initiative — defense articles, services, and training for Taiwan
- $800,000,000
Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative — training, equipment, and lethal assistance for Ukrainian forces
- $500,000,000
Israeli Cooperative Programs — Iron Dome, short-range ballistic missile defense, and Arrow systems
- $1,925,311,000
Military readiness improvement fund, transferable to O&M accounts of all services and components
- $342,516,000
Counter-ISIS Train and Equip Fund — training and equipment for forces countering ISIS
- $282,830,000
Cooperative Threat Reduction — arms control and nonproliferation programs
- $400,000,000
Africa Command and Southern Command partner capacity-building and cooperation programs ($200M each)
- $514,000,000
Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System Fund
How implementation would work
Funds are appropriated by title and account, with most military personnel and O&M funds available for obligation through September 30, 2026, and most procurement and R&D funds available through FY2027 or FY2028. The Secretary of Defense must submit a reprogramming baseline report to Congress within 60 days of enactment before most transfers under Section 8005's $6 billion transfer authority may proceed. Security assistance funds for Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel require written notification to congressional defense committees at least 15 days before obligation, plus quarterly reporting. Rescissions in Section 8045 cancel prior-year balances across 23 accounts. Spending conditions in Title VIII are enforced by restricting obligation of funds that violate them.
Legislative status & sources
Latest action
Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 137.
Official CRS summary
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This bill provides FY2026 appropriations to the Department of Defense (DOD) for military activities.
(The bill excludes military construction, military family housing, civil works projects of the Army Corps of Engineers, and nuclear warheads, which are all included in other appropriations bills.)
Within the DOD budget, the bill provides appropriations for
- Military Personnel;
- Operation and Maintenance;
- Procurement;
- Research, Development, Test and Evaluation; and
- Revolving and Management Funds.
The bill provides appropriations for Other Department of Defense Programs, including
- the Defense Health Program,
- Chemical Agents and Munitions Destruction,
- Drug Interdiction and Counter-Drug Activities, and
- the Office of the Inspector General.
In addition, the bill provides appropriations for Related Agencies, including (1) the Central Intelligence Agency Retirement and Disability System Fund, and (2) the Intelligence Community Management Account.
The bill also sets forth requirements and restrictions for using funds provided by this and other appropriations acts.
Legislative subjects
Appropriations; Arms control and nonproliferation; Asia; Aviation and airports; Buy American requirements; Central Intelligence Agency (CIA); Chemical and biological weapons; Conflicts and wars; Congressional oversight; Defense spending; Department of Defense; Disability assistance; Drug trafficking and controlled substances; Drug, alcohol, tobacco use; Economics and Public Finance; Employee benefits and pensions; Employee hiring; Environmental assessment, monitoring, research; Executive agency funding and structure; Federal-Indian relations; Firearms and explosives; Foreign aid and international relief; Government employee pay, benefits, personnel management; Government trust funds; Hawaii; Hazardous wastes and toxic substances; Health care coverage and access; Health facilities and institutions; Idaho; Intelligence activities, surveillance, classified information; Iraq; Israel; Kuwait; Land transfers; Lawyers and legal services; Micronesia; Middle East; Military education and training; Military facilities and property; Military law; Military medicine; Military personnel and dependents; Military procurement, research, weapons development; Minnesota; Montana; Motor vehicles; National Guard and reserves; Nevada; North Dakota; Oregon; Public contracts and procurement; Radioactive wastes and releases; Research administration and funding; Research and development; Russia; South Dakota; Spacecraft and satellites; Strategic materials and reserves; Syria; Terrorism; Transportation costs; Ukraine; Washington State
Committee report
S. Rept. 119-52