The U.S. Navy is buying missiles as fast as the U.S. defense industry can build them. The sailing branch requested $23 billion for missiles and other munitions as part of its 2027 budget submission. That’s up from just $8 billion in 2026.
The big spend should deliver thousands of Standard and Patriot surface-to-air missiles and Tomahawk and Joint Air-to-Surface Strike Missile–Extended Range cruise missiles to the fleet.
There’s a reason for the urgency. America’s on-again, off-again war with Iran has cut deeply into U.S. munitions stocks, imperiling the Pentagon’s ability to deter or defeat a serious foe such as China. “We don’t have enough munitions to sustain a long-term fight,” warned Rep. Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican and chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives’ appropriations committee.
