National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2026: the requirement to adequately resource the China counterstrategy yields a temporary consensus in the Senate

On October 9, 2025, the U.S. Senate, with the support of 50 Republicans and 27 Democrats, passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for the 2026 fiscal year.

The bill, which garnered overwhelming bipartisan support among senators, allocated increased funding for the U.S. armed forces, with senators approving a defense budget of $925 billion, continuing the trend established in previous years of steadily increasing military spending as a key tool for maintaining U.S. global military dominance.

The approved funding covers the modernization of military systems and equipment, the accelerated implementation of programs focused on research, development, testing, and evaluation (RDT&E) of advanced weaponry, investments in innovation hubs within the U.S. military-industrial complex, the production of components for various types of weapons using 3D printing, and more.