WASHINGTON — Amid escalating global tensions, fractured alliances, reckless leadership, and a weakened domestic economy, a new report from the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI) calls on Democrats to lead the charge for a strategic and sustainable increase in U.S. defense spending to reach $1 trillion annually by 2029. The report argues that a stronger military is essential to safeguarding American interests in a more dangerous world and to counter rising threats from Russia, China, and Iran.
Titled “An Affordable Necessity: The Case for a Larger Defense Budget,” the report by PPI National Security Policy Director Peter Juul critiques the Trump administration’s defense posture as strategically incoherent and fiscally misleading. Despite rhetoric touting military strength and claiming to undo Biden’s “woke” policies, the administration’s budget proposals would underfund key capabilities while overinvesting in ill-conceived projects such as the $175 billion “Golden Dome” missile defense initiative.
“President Trump’s policies are not only misaligned with real strategic needs — they are driving up costs while undermining America’s alliances and industrial base,” said Juul. “Democrats must break from old habits and reclaim their heritage as the party of national security.”
The report recommends a phased increase of $37.5 billion annually over the next four years to rebuild naval and airpower capacity, modernize the nuclear deterrent, and expand munitions production. It also lays out a vision for a notional Democratic defense program focused on deterring authoritarian aggression, supporting allied nations like Ukraine and Taiwan, and securing U.S. technological leadership in military systems.
Key takeaways from the report include:
Democrats face not just a security imperative but a political opportunity. By advancing a credible, cost-conscious plan to modernize the U.S. military and restore global leadership, they can reestablish public trust and define a forward-looking defense agenda rooted in democratic values and strategic realism.
Read and download the report here.
Founded in 1989, PPI is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Find an expert and learn more about PPI by visiting progressivepolicy.org. Follow us @PPI.
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Media Contact: Ian O’Keefe – iokeefe@ppionline.org
