Zaynab Quadri is a Henry Chauncey Jr. '57 Postdoctoral Fellow in the Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy at Yale. She was previously a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at The Ohio State University. She received her PhD in American studies from George Washington University.

March 27, 2025

Analysis

Anatomy of a Defense Budget

Tracing the growth of US military spending

Defense spending is projected to increase in 2026, reaching almost $1 trillion. This vast US defense apparatus operates through labyrinthine budgetary procedures, policies, and logics that extend far beyond a single administration. Amid a broader push towards austerity, what explains the…