Congress has given the Department of Defense $19.7 billion for military construction—a sum that can be swiftly put to use fixing military infrastructure and improving servicemembers’ quality of life.
Amid the reopening of the federal government, and with the bulk of the defense budget again waiting under a continuing resolution, Congress has delivered a small but important win for the US military. By providing $19.7 billion in regular 2026 military construction (MILCON) appropriations, a 4.5 percent ($844.3 million) increase over the Pentagon’s request, Congress shows it actually can lead when it comes to one of the bedrocks of US national security—our infrastructure and our people.
For years, we have argued that national security is not one of many priorities for the federal government; it is the priority. This bill demonstrates that our elected representatives fundamentally agree, and sets the stage for a delayed but hopeful final outcome for the rest of defense appropriations.
Although the bill’s topline number is important, its true value is in the signal it sends. It shows that the US government supports targeted, crucial investments that directly impact operational readiness and quality of life. The joint explanatory statement for the bill, reads like a blueprint for a more capable and sustainable force.
The Bill Makes Critical Investments in Military Infrastructure
The most significant and welcome tone is the House-driven intense focus on quality of life projects. Congress is clearly sending a message: we cannot expect our service members to maintain peak readiness when their families are struggling with childcare access, or when they are living in substandard barracks.
The bill tackles both of these issues head-on. It provides a total of $347.8 million for Child Development Center (CDC) projects, and nearly $60 million in design and major construction funding for additional CDC projects to address existing capacity shortfalls. It also provides an increase over the request of $50 million for barracks design to tackle the long-neglected issue of unaccompanied housing. This may seem like a minor issue within the far larger defense budget, but it is a vital investment in retention and morale.
The funding in this bill is also strategically allocated to meet modern threats. It includes funding for aircraft maintenance hangars, corrosion control facilities, and command and control centers across the globe. Locations from Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in the INDOPACOM theater to various stateside installations will receive necessary upgrades.
The Senate-driven allocations for the Army ($207.95 million above request), Air Force ($204.8 million above request), and the Reserve components are a direct injection of resources into high-priority, service-identified projects that were left out of the request. Additionally, $1.5 billion is provided for revitalizing America’s four public shipyards.
Lastly, the bill also includes key smart management provisions. It provides $45 million specifically for the demolition of obsolete infrastructure. This is simple, good governance: get rid of costly, old, unusable buildings that divert maintenance funds and free up real estate for the future.
Why Did Congress Take So Long with This Bill?
While the outcome of this specific bill is strong, it’s impossible to ignore the systemic issue that was exposed to get here. It took an historic government shutdown for the bill to succeed—a disaster for US military funding from which full recovery will take months or years. Moreover, this is just $19 billion of the overall $890 billion Pentagon budget (excluding budget reconciliation funds) that is needed in 2026. Every day lost during the shutdown delayed not only military construction projects, but all modernization and readiness. We won’t know the full cost of that delay for a long time, if ever.
Secondly, and probably more importantly, is a not so quiet scandal hidden behind the fences of America’s military bases. Across the services, simple facility projects that should take two years are taking much longer. The Pentagon’s own processes, endless environmental reviews, design iterations, and budget delays have turned military construction into a bureaucratic obstacle course.
It doesn’t have to be this way. When the nation decides something truly matters—when urgency meets leadership—things move fast. Secretary of Defense Pege Hegseth should unleash the Army Corps of Engineers to demolish and build at the speed of war. If the Pentagon itself was constructed in just sixteen months in a previous age, then we should be able to build a barracks in one year.
The 2026 military construction bill is a decisive commitment by Congress to ensure our warfighters have the facilities needed to train, live, and operate effectively. But the job isn’t done. DOD must now execute this funding quickly, responsibly, and accountably. The trust that Congress places in the defense establishment with these funds is significant. If that trust is squandered, or if the overall federal budget process continues to be a source of annual instability, our military service members will ultimately pay the price.
Above all, it is vital to remember that China isn’t waiting for environmental impact statements before building airfields in the South China Sea. The United States cannot afford to let its own infrastructure become the next casualty of peacetime complacency. If Secretary Hegseth believes that the acquisition system needs transformation, maybe he ought to take a look at the construction process. Let’s see if the Pentagon can execute these funds at the speed of war.
About the Authors: Elaine McCusker and John Ferrari
Elaine McCusker is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and previously served as the Pentagon’s acting undersecretary of defense (comptroller). Her writing on the military’s commissary system has appeared in The National Interest, The Military Times, and The Ripon Forum.
Maj. Gen. John G. Ferrari is a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Over his 32-year US Army career, Ferrari, who is now retired, served as the director of program analysis and evaluation, the commanding general of the White Sands Missile Range, and a deputy commander for programs at the NATO Training Mission in Afghanistan. He has an MBA in finance and strategic management from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in national resource strategy and policy from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (now called the Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy), and a BS in computer science from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Image: Shutterstock / Glynnis Jones.
