US President Donald Trump's fiscal year 2026 defense budget seeks $60 billion to sustain and modernize the nuclear triad, a senior defense official said on Thursday.

During a press briefing, the official stated, "The FY26 budget requests approximately $60 billion for the nuclear enterprise to sustain and modernize all three legs of our triad."

The total defense request reaches $1.01 trillion, marking a 13% increase from FY2025.

According to the official, the FY26 budget proposal designates $10.3 billion for the B-21 bomber, $11 billion for the Columbia-class submarine, and $4.2 billion for the Sentinel ICBM as part of the US nuclear triad modernization efforts.

A nuclear triad is a military structure that consists of three components: Strategic bombers with nuclear bombs, submarine-launched nuclear ballistic missiles, and intercontinental ballistic missiles with nuclear warheads. This diversification allows countries to keep their nuclear deterrence safe and launch a retaliatory strike in case one or two components are neutralized.

Trump's FY2026 defense budget proposal includes an extra $2.5 billion to ramp up missile and munitions production, the Pentagon announced.

The plan also earmarks $1.3 billion for industrial base upgrades and $1.2 billion to attract private investment in defense projects. Additionally, $6.5 billion will go toward acquiring nearly 2,000 non-hypersonic long-range munitions to strengthen strike capabilities.

In addition, the proposal also allocates $13.4 billion for the development of unmanned weapons systems across land, sea, and air domains. According to Pentagon officials, this includes $9.4 billion for aerial drones, $210 million for autonomous ground vehicles, $1.7 billion for naval surface systems, and $730 million for underwater autonomous platforms. The funding is said to be part of a broader push to expand autonomous capabilities and modernize the US military’s technological edge. 

The FY2026 defense budget reflects a strategic shift in US military priorities under President Trump, emphasizing large-scale investments in advanced munitions, autonomous systems, and industrial base resilience.

With rising global tensions and a focus on near-peer competition, the proposed funding underscores Washington’s intent to enhance long-range strike capabilities, maintain technological superiority, and prepare for future conflicts driven by automation and precision warfare. If approved, the budget would mark one of the largest peacetime military investments in US history.