Pentagon spends $10.8bln on 25 classified weapons to counter China
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The Pentagon is investing more than $10.8 billion in 25 classified weapons projects under the SHOTCALLER program.
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The Pentagon, the headquarters for the U.S. Department of War, is seen from the air, Friday, August 8, 2025, in Arlington, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The Pentagon has allocated more than $10.8 billion to develop 25 new classified weapons under a covert program known as SHOTCALLER.
The initiative is designed to create survivable, rapid, and overwhelming long-range strike capabilities to counter China under the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, according to an analysis of Pentagon budget reports.
In its Fiscal Year 2026 budget request, the Pentagon designated $1.16 billion for the Advanced Innovative Technologies (AIT) program, which forms the core of SHOTCALLER.
The AIT program supports the ongoing development of 25 classified weapon prototypes.
Prior budget cycles had already allocated more than $9.6 billion, covering a wide range of projects with varying scales.
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Role of the strategic capabilities office
SHOTCALLER is managed by the Pentagon’s Strategic Capabilities Office, a rapid innovation unit under top defense leadership.
The initiative allows the US military to bypass traditional acquisition channels and accelerate prototype testing across the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force.
The program focuses on developing a unified “kill chain,” which integrates long-range strike capabilities, space-based tracking of moving targets, and joint-service operations. This approach is designed to ensure US forces can deliver rapid and overwhelming responses in a future high-end conflict.
Projects and codenames in the Pentagon’s weapons program
The 25 classified projects are tied to codenames such as Asgard, Bedlam, Black Marlin, Epic, Lazarus, Oculus Prime, Pele, and Rolling Dice. A large share of the budget is simply marked as “Classified Projects.”
Some programs, including Hurt Locker, Pele, and HGWS, have already received hundreds of millions in prior funding. Others, such as Lazarus, Legend, and Oculus Prime, appear to be gaining momentum in the 2026 budget.
According to the Pentagon, these efforts address gaps identified in past warfighting experiments and are intended to prepare the United States military for potential conflict scenarios in the Indo-Pacific region.
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Pentagon claims to seek to prioritize domestic protection
According to Politico reporting based on an early draft of the National Defense Strategy, the Pentagon was seeking to shift its focus more towards domestic threats above China and Russia.
The US-based media outlet claimed that such a paper marks a significant departure from the stance adopted by previous administrations, including Trump's first administration.
“This is going to be a major shift for the US and its allies on multiple continents,” one source familiar with the plan told Politico. “The old, trusted US promises are being questioned.”
Although not finalized, the new strategy towards protection against domestic threats can be seen via Trump's push to deploy thousands of National Guard personnel in major cities like Washington and Chicago under the guise of combating crime.
