Department of Defense
DOD · FY2017–FY2026 budget trends
Provides military forces to deter war and protect national security. Manages the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force, along with intelligence agencies and combatant commands worldwide. DOD commands nearly half a trillion dollars in contracts alone — more than the next ten agencies combined.
💰 Taxpayer Accountability
Defense spending has grown steadily regardless of which party controls Congress, raising questions about contractor dependency and whether the military-industrial complex is serving taxpayers or the other way around. Ten companies receive the majority of contract dollars, and cost overruns on major weapons programs are the norm, not the exception.
Budget Authority (FY2026)
$1.4T
Total Contracts
$491.4B
Total Grants
$9.3B
Budget Growth (FY17→25)
+52.8%
+$173.1B
Contracts vs Grants
Budget Trend
Year-over-Year Changes
| FY | Budget | YoY | Obligated | YoY | Outlays | YoY |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $1.2T | — | $1.0T | — | $918.3B | — |
| 2018 | $1.3T | +8.5% | $1.1T | +7.7% | $958.7B | +4.4% |
| 2019 | $1.3T | -0.7% | $1.2T | +5.7% | $1.0T | +7.8% |
| 2020 | $1.3T | +2.1% | $1.1T | -2.1% | $1.0T | +0.2% |
| 2021 | $1.5T | +18.4% | $1.1T | +1.5% | $1.1T | +5.6% |
| 2022 | $1.6T | +8.0% | $1.2T | +3.7% | $1.2T | +5.9% |
| 2023 | $1.5T | -6.8% | $1.3T | +11.8% | $1.2T | +3.7% |
| 2024 | $2.0T | +30.7% | $1.4T | +4.7% | $1.3T | +6.0% |
| 2025 | $2.2T | +11.1% | $1.5T | +4.2% | $1.3T | +5.4% |
| 2026 | $1.4T | -35.7% | $750.2B | -48.3% | $759.9B | -43.4% |
How This Agency's Growth Compares
Department of Defense grew +52.8% from FY2017 to FY2025 — #9 growing of 18 major agencies.
| # | Agency | Growth % | Growth $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Department of Energy | +154.4% | +$49.4B |
| 2 | Department of Homeland Security | +153.1% | +$44.4B |
| 3 | General Services Administration | +107.7% | +$12.9B |
| 4 | Department of Transportation | +97.4% | +$66.5B |
| 5 | Department of the Interior | +90.5% | +$8.8B |
| 6 | Department of State | +84.0% | +$16.2B |
| 7 | Department of Health and Human Services | +66.7% | +$809.9B |
| 8 | Social Security Administration | +64.9% | +$643.6B |
| 9 | → Department of Defense | +52.8% | +$173.1B |
| 10 | Department of Agriculture | +49.9% | +$61.7B |
| 11 | Department of Housing and Urban Development | +43.8% | +$23.7B |
| 12 | Department of Veterans Affairs | +41.7% | +$84.8B |
| 13 | Department of Education | +28.1% | +$21.1B |
| 14 | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | +24.4% | +$4.5B |
| 15 | Railroad Retirement Board | +15.1% | +$1.9B |
| 16 | Department of Labor | +10.1% | +$1.1B |
| 17 | Department of Justice | -2.5% | -$292.0M |
| 18 | Agency for International Development | -26.6% | -$4.4B |
Top Contractors
| # | Contractor | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lockheed Martin Corporation | $55.7B |
| 2 | Electric Boat Corporation | $21.4B |
| 3 | Raytheon Company | $14.1B |
| 4 | The Boeing Company | $10.7B |
| 5 | Amerisourcebergen Drug Corp. | $7.4B |
| 6 | RTX Corporation | $7.3B |
| 7 | Humana Government Business Inc. | $6.5B |
| 8 | Atlantic Diving Supply, Inc. | $5.7B |
| 9 | Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation | $4.7B |
| 10 | Huntington Ingalls Incorporated | $4.6B |
| 11 | Huntington Ingalls Inc. | $4.2B |
| 12 | Triwest Healthcare Alliance Corp. | $3.5B |
| 13 | Amentum Services, Inc. | $3.0B |
| 14 | Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. | $3.0B |
Related Agencies
Related Pages
Budget Functions
How federal spending is categorized by purpose and function.
Read more →Top Contractors
Which companies receive the most federal contract dollars.
Read more →Spending Explosion
How federal spending has grown dramatically since 2017.
Read more →Sub-Agencies
Detailed spending by sub-agencies and bureaus.
Read more →Source: USASpending.gov · U.S. Department of the Treasury