Hegseth Says Proposed $1.5 Trillion Military Budget Is ‘Message to the World’

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Jan. 12 said President Donald Trump’s call for a $1.5 trillion military budget for fiscal year 2027 is a “message to the world.” Hegseth highlighted ongoing efforts to expand the U.S. military and reform defense production and procurement during a stop in Fort Worth, Texas, on Monday as part of his multistate “Arsenal of Freedom” tour. “We are rebuilding the arsenal of freedom. President Trump did it in his first term, and we’re going to do it again. We had a historic budget last year,” Hegseth told a crowd of Lockheed Martin executives and employees at a company facility on Monday afternoon....