Defense Budget Analysis

The Defense Budget Analysis Program leads the Center’s efforts to provide in-depth, nonpartisan research and analysis of defense funding issues

Led by fellow Seamus Daniels, the program explores trends in the overall defense budget, military readiness, force structure, defense acquisitions, and military compensation in a broader effort to assess the alignment of the country’s defense strategy and its resources.

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Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Photo: Stefani Reynolds/Bloomberg/Getty Images

Unpacking the $1.5 Trillion FY 2027 Defense Budget Topline

On April 3, the White House released details of its defense budget request for FY 2027. Seamus Daniels unpacks the $1.5 trillion topline requested for national defense and its implications for congressional action.

Critical Questions by Seamus P. Daniels — April 10, 2026

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Unpacking the $1.5 Trillion FY 2027 Defense Budget Topline

On April 3, the White House released details of its defense budget request for FY 2027. Seamus Daniels unpacks the $1.5 trillion topline requested for national defense and its implications for congressional action.

Critical Questions by Seamus P. Daniels — April 10, 2026

Outlining the Challenges to U.S. Naval Shipbuilding

The U.S. naval shipbuilding enterprise struggles to produce ships at the scale and speed demanded despite being a bipartisan priority for successive administrations and Congress. The White House must tackle complex, longstanding challenges to improve shipbuilding capacity.

Report by CSIS Scholars — December 16, 2025

What a Government Shutdown Would Mean for Defense Funding in FY 2026

With Congress failing to pass a continuing resolution to start FY 2026, the Department of Defense faces a shutdown until legislators take action to fund the federal government. Seamus Daniels explains the implications for the Department of Defense.

Critical Questions by Seamus P. Daniels — September 30, 2025

Audio Briefs

What a Government Shutdown Would Mean for Defense Funding in FY 2026

An audio version of “⁠What a Government Shutdown Would Mean for Defense Funding in FY 2026,⁠” a new Critical Questions by CSIS’s Seamus P. Daniels. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Seamus P. Daniels — September 30, 2025

Audio Briefs

War and the Modern Battlefield: Insights from Ukraine and the Middle East

The United States faces one of the most dangerous international security environments in recent history. While some aspects of warfare remain perennial, the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are showing how others are rapidly evolving on the modern battlefield.

Digital Report by The CSIS Defense and Security Department — September 16, 2025

Defense Budgets in an Uncertain Security Environment

Uncertainty in the current global security environment since the start of the Ukraine war has increased global defense spending as states perceive themselves to be at greater risk. But political and fiscal realities will also shape future defense spending levels.

Commentary by Seamus P. Daniels — September 16, 2025

Audio Briefs

Defense Budgets in an Uncertain Security Environment

An audio version of “⁠Defense Budgets in an Uncertain Security Environment⁠,” a new commentary by CSIS’s Seamus P. Daniels. This audio was generated with text-to-speech by Eleven Labs. 

Podcast Episode by Seamus P. Daniels — September 16, 2025

Audio Briefs

Trump Restructures the Pentagon Budget: Two Views

Who should win and lose under Secretary Hegseth’s direction to reallocate 8 percent of DOD’s budget? CSIS experts Mark Cancian and Melissa Dalton took very different approaches in a recent exercise: a global focus (Cancian) versus the implications of the administration's strategy (Dalton).

Report by Mark F. Cancian and Melissa Dalton — April 16, 2025