Story perspectives

US Cuts Spending 7.5% as Global Military Hits $2.9 T Record

4/30/2026

Summary

Story summary

U.S. military spending fell 7.5% in 2025, marking its sharpest single-year decline in decades.
Global military spending reached a record $2.9 trillion in 2025, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
NATO members collectively spent $1.581 trillion in 2025, representing 55% of worldwide military expenditures.
In Asia and Oceania, outlays rose 8.1% to $681 billion, with China’s budget up 7.4% to $336 billion and Taiwan’s up 14% to $18.2 billion.

History

Historical Context

After the Cold War, the United States reduced its defense outlay, with the 1993 budget falling to $316 billion—about 20 % of the federal budget. Robert Gates in 2009 warned that shrinking forces must be balanced against new threats, while NATO’s collective spending slipped 12 % in the 1990s before rising again after Russia’s 2022 invasion.

1 of 2

Story summary

U.S. military spending fell 7.5% in 2025, marking its sharpest single-year decline in decades.
Global military spending reached a record $2.9 trillion in 2025, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
NATO members collectively spent $1.581 trillion in 2025, representing 55% of worldwide military expenditures.
In Asia and Oceania, outlays rose 8.1% to $681 billion, with China’s budget up 7.4% to $336 billion and Taiwan’s up 14% to $18.2 billion.

1 / 2