Gov / Military Spending, DOD Contracts, National Defense $$$$

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Trump quietly signs sweeping $901B defense bill after bipartisan Senate passage​

President Trump signed into law a nearly $1 trillion defense policy bill Thursday and approved what looks to be the largest military spending package in U.S. history.

The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act authorizes $901 billion in military spending, roughly $8 billion more than the administration requested, according to Reuters.

It also delivers a nearly 4 percent pay raise for troops, provides new funding for Ukraine and the Baltic States, and includes measures designed to scale back security commitments abroad.

Read the rest:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...n-senate-passage/ar-AA1SDtTQ?ocid=socialshare
 

US Space Force awards $1.6 billion in contracts to South Bay satellite builders​

The U.S. Space Force announced Friday it has awarded satellite contracts with a combined value of about $1.6 billion to Rocket Lab in Long Beach and to the Redondo Beach Space Park campus of Northrop Grumman.

The contracts by the Space Development Agency will fund the construction by each company of 18 satellites for a network in development that will provide warning of advanced threats such as hypersonic missiles.

Read more:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/tech...tellite-builders/ar-AA1SIW16?ocid=socialshare
 

This shipbuilder’s stock soars to a fresh record as company wins contract to produce a new type of Navy frigate​

Shares of military shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries were up sharply Monday, building on Friday’s surge that came after the U.S. Navy announced it had selected the company to design and build a new class of small warship.

The gains on Monday came as President Donald Trump also said that he had approved a plan for the U.S. Navy to construct new “Trump-class” warships intended to serve as flagships the nation’s naval fleet.

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https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/mar...-of-navy-frigate/ar-AA1SQDAh?ocid=socialshare
 

Hanwha Ocean shares jump 10% after Trump says South Korean firm to build warships for U.S. Navy​

  • Trump said that the warships will be built at the Hanwha Philly Shipyard in Philadelphia, acquired by the South Korean company in 2024.
  • Hanwha has pledged to invest $5 billion in the shipyard as part of South Korea’s $150 billion shipbuilding pledge.
  • Last week, the U.S. Navy announced the FF(X) class of ships as part of Trump’s “Golden Fleet.”
  • Trump also announced the U.S. Navy will build new two “Trump-class” battleships, which will be “the fastest, the biggest, and by far, 100 times more powerful than any battleship ever built.”
Shares of South Korean firm Hanwha Ocean surged 10% Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the firm would help build new frigates for the country’s Navy.

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Update

Post in thread 'Contrarian news & views'

Here's the straight skinny.

The Trump-class battleship faces a large obstacle in its way: reality​

  • Trump’s battleship plan clashes with decades of U.S. naval strategy and technology shifts
  • Experts described it as a "prestige project," a "bomb magnet," and said that "this ship will never sail."
  • Even if it were technically feasible, the cost of building the battleship would be prohibitive.
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled plans for a new "Trump-class" battleship, declaring it would be "the fastest, the biggest, and by far, 100 times more powerful than any...
 

Report to Congress on BBG(X) Program​

The following is the Jan. 16, 2026, Congressional Research Service report, Navy Guided Missile Battleship (BBG[X]) Program: Background and Issues for Congress.

From the report​

On December 22, 2025, the Trump Administration announced a proposed program to build a new class of guided missile battleships (BBG[X]s) for the Navy. BBG(X)s would be the first battleships procured by the Navy since World War II, and would be larger and more heavily armed than any cruiser or destroyer procured by the Navy since World War II. The first BBG(X) would reportedly be procured in the early 2030s. An issue for Congress is whether to approve, reject, or modify the Trump administration’s proposal for building BBG(X)s.

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U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command 2025 in Review​

The following is the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command 2025 in review.

From the Report​

As the Department of War’s maritime logistics provider, Military Sealift Command delivers agile, persistent, and innovative logistics solutions to the Navy and Joint Force, generating effects across the spectrum of military operations in strategic competition, crisis, and conflict.

MSC crews, trains, equips, and operates more than 140 government and commercially-owned and chartered vessels to directly support Navy Fleet Commanders and serves as the Naval Component of U.S. Transportation Command.

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GAO Report on the Effects of Continuing Resolutions on Programs Critical to National Security​

The following is the Jan. 21 2026, Government Accountability Office report, Defense Budget: Effects of Continuing Resolutions on Selected Activities and Programs Critical to DOD’s National Security Mission.

From the Report​

Continuing resolutions provide temporary funding for federal operations. CRs are used when Congress and the President don’t reach agreement on final funding levels before the start of the fiscal year.

In all but four of the last 49 years, the Department of Defense has had to carry out its national security mission under CRs. We reviewed several DOD activities and programs and found they faced delays, increased costs, and other challenges due to CRs. For example, the cost of a contract to sustain military facilities more than doubled after CR-related delays in 2024. CRs can also affect the availability of equipment for training and exercises.

 

Raytheon to Bolster Tomahawk and SM-6 Production in Critical Munition Deal​

Raytheon, also known as RTX, will increase its production speed to deliver missiles crucial for U.S. forces following a series of landmark deals with the Pentagon.

The American defense contractor announced the expedited production effort Wednesday. The boost to the defense industrial base comes as Washington’s forces tap into stockpiles for various contingencies, most notably those in the Middle East amid recent conflicts including Israel and Iran’s 12-Day War and operations against the Houthis in Yemen.

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13 Warships, Support Ships Slated for Inactivation This Year​

More than a dozen warships and support ships will leave the U.S. Navy’s battle force this year, according to the Fiscal Year 2026 ship inactivation schedule released last week.

The Navy already bid farewell to Los Angeles-class submarines USS Newport News (SSN-750), which was decommissioned last month after 37 years of service. The 35-year-old USS Alexandria (SSN-757) will also leave the Navy’s active fleet this year on Aug. 4. The attack boats will be defueled and scrapped at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, Wash., USNI News previously reported.

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Sailors Should Not Pay for Meals at Sea​

In early August 2024, on board the carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), crew members were issued an entirely predictable, yet still unbelievable, reward for spending all of July at sea: a bill for $407.65. The Navy continues to charge sailors for meals while deployed.

Title 37 of the U.S. Code requires the Secretary of Defense to “establish rates for meals sold at messes to officers, civilians, and enlisted members.”1 For 2025, the discounted daily rate for meals is $13.30 (up from $13.14 in 2024).2 Service members must pay the entire daily rate regardless of how many meals they actually eat.3

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