Defense and National Security

Weapon Systems

Funding for weapons systems—which constitutes about one-third of the Department of Defense’s budget—is used to procure new systems, upgrade existing systems, and perform research, development, testing, and evaluation of new systems. CBO reviews selected weapon programs and provides a regular analysis of the long-term cost of planned weapons acquisition.

  • Interactive

    This tool allows the user to see the effects on the Department of Defense's total operation and support costs and on the size of the military of adding or subtracting tanks, ships, aircraft, and other units.

  • Report

    CBO estimates that plans for U.S. nuclear forces, as described in the fiscal year 2025 budget and supporting documents, would cost $946 billion over the 2025–2034 period, $190 billion more than CBO's 2023 estimate for the 2023–2032 period.

  • Report

    Under the Navy’s 2025 shipbuilding plan, total shipbuilding costs would average about $40 billion per year (in 2024 dollars) through 2054, CBO estimates, as the Navy built a fleet of 390 battle force ships.

  • Report

    CBO periodically issues a compendium of policy options and their estimated effects on the federal budget. This report presents 76 options for altering spending or revenues to reduce federal budget deficits over the next decade.

  • Report

    CBO analyzes the Department of Defense’s plans for 2025 to 2029 as presented in the 2025 Future Years Defense Program. Under those plans, CBO projects, defense costs would increase by 11 percent between 2029 and 2039.

  • Report

    Of the rotary-wing aircraft operated by the Army, the Department of the Navy (DoN), and the Air Force, the Army’s are the most numerous and have had the greatest availability rates. But DoN’s aircraft have flown the most hours per aircraft.

  • Report

    In analyzing the availability and use of aircraft by the U.S. Army from 2000 to 2023, CBO found that the number of manned aircraft has decreased and availability has increased. Average flying hours per aircraft have fallen since 2011.

  • Report

    CBO estimates that a three-ship Polar Security Cutter program would cost $5.1 billion in 2024 dollars—about 60 percent more than the Coast Guard’s current estimate. Operating those three ships would cost $12.4 billion through 2063.

  • Report

    CBO estimates that construction of 18 medium landing ships would cost between $6.2 billion and $7.8 billion in 2024 dollars. CBO’s estimates range from two to roughly three times the Navy’s current estimates.

  • Report

    Between 1980 and 2022, the shipbuilding composite index grew an average of 1.2 percentage points faster per year than the GDP deflator did. Looking ahead, a gap of roughly 1 percentage point would be consistent with historical experience.

  • Report

    CBO estimates that plans for U.S. nuclear forces, as described in the fiscal year 2023 budget and supporting documents, would cost $756 billion over the 2023–2032 period, $122 billion more than CBO’s 2021 estimate for the 2021–2030 period.

  • Report

    CBO provides an introduction to the basics of satellites and constellations, describes the reasons for and consequences of the projected growth in large constellations, and discusses the costs of fielding those constellations.

  • Report

    CBO reexamines the availability and use of the Department of Defense’s F-35 fighter aircraft and presents new findings on availability rates, flying hours, and effects of aging.

  • Report

    CBO compares the availability and use of the Navy’s F/A-18E/F Super Hornet fighter aircraft with the availability and use of their predecessor F/A-18C/D Hornets and other aircraft. Super Hornets have aged more adversely than the F/A-18C/Ds.

  • Report

    CBO analyzes the hypersonic missiles being developed by the U.S. military and compares them with less expensive existing or potential weapons that might fill similar roles, such as cruise missiles or ballistic missiles.