Defense and National Security
- Report
Options to Counter Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems
CBO describes current methods to detect and counter small unmanned aircraft systems and estimates it would cost about $74 million to outfit a typical military installation with a layered defense and at least $5 million a year to support it.
- Report
The Treasury's Assistance to the Airline Industry and National Security Businesses During the COVID-19 Pandemic
CBO examines the terms and conditions of the Treasury's assistance provided to airlines and national security businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic and budgetary effects.
- Working Paper
Accrual Accounting for Veterans' Benefits: Working Paper 2026-07
CBO explains how it estimated that VA benefits would cost about $90,000 annually per active-duty service member if accrual accounting methods were used to fund future disability and health benefits that many veterans will receive.
- Graphic
Atlas of Military Compensation, 2026
In the President's 2026 budget request, total military compensation is $718 billion. Of that total, $277 billion is for the Department of Defense, and $441 billion is for the Department of Veterans Affairs.
- Report
Increasing the Size and Missile Capability of the Navy's Fleet Within the Next Five Years
CBO examines three options to quickly increase the offensive lethality of the U.S. Navy's fleet of surface ships by 2030.
- Report
Potential Costs of a National Missile Defense System
CBO estimates that a national missile defense system possessing capabilities broadly consistent with those in the "The Iron Dome for America" executive order would cost about $1.2 trillion to develop, deploy, and operate for 20 years.
- Report
Answers to Questions for the Record Following a Hearing on The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2026 to 2036
The Subcommittee on Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth of the Senate Committee on Finance convened a hearing at which CBO's Director testified. This document provides CBO's answers to questions submitted for the record.
- Report
DoD's 2026 Budget Request and Plan for Funding Provided by the 2025 Reconciliation Act
CBO analyzes one of DoD's largest and most complicated budget requests in the past 50 years. DoD's 2026 budget request totaled $961 billion, including $113 billion in funding provided by the 2025 reconciliation act.
- Report
Testimony on Challenges Facing the Navy's and Coast Guard's Shipbuilding Programs and the Shipbuilding Industrial Base
Eric J. Labs, CBO's Senior Analyst for Naval Forces and Weapons, testifies at a joint hearing before the House Subcommittees on Seapower and Projection Forces and on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation.
- Report
The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2026 to 2036
In CBO's projections, the federal budget deficit in fiscal year 2026 is $1.9 trillion, and federal debt rises to 120 percent of GDP in 2036. Economic growth strengthens in 2026 and moderates in later years.