China has boosted its defense spending 13-fold over the past three decades, modernizing its weapons and military into a force capable of operating beyond its borders. The buildup isn’t happening in isolation. Military spending in the Middle East climbed to 4.3% of the region’s GDP last year, up from 3.5% in 2022, driven in part by Israel after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks. Across Europe, meanwhile, governments led by Germany are ramping up defense budgets at a record pace.
Even so, none of them comes close to the United States.
In the 2025 fiscal year, Washington spent $921 billion on its military, nearly as much as the next 14 largest defense budgets in the world combined, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies. And the gap could widen soon.
On Friday, the White House requested an eye-popping $1.5 trillion defense budget for the 2027 fiscal year. That’s a 44% jump from the year prior. If Congress approves it, the US would post its highest military spending in modern history.
Where would the money go? Bolstering munitions, expanding the US naval fleet, and kicking off construction of the “Golden Dome” missile defense system, for starters. The administration’s ask also appears to be separate from the $200 billion requested for its fight against Iran, which by itself is about $14 billion more than Russia spent on defense last year.
Other nations are also opening their wallets. China plans to raise military spending 7% this year amid tensions with Japan over Taiwan. Germany is set to spend $127 billion on defense in 2026 (and could soon dwarf Britain and France put together) in response to Moscow’s aggression and Washington’s disinterest in protecting the continent through NATO. India is hiking its own military budget after last year’s flare-up with its neighbor, Pakistan.
But in the defense race, the scoreboard isn’t close. When it comes to military spending, the United States is still playing in a league of its own.
