Wicker’s 2026 Armed Services priorities

By U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker

Rebuilding the American Arsenal

For several years, I have had the unfortunate task of sounding the alarm about America’s increasingly unprepared military. When I became the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2025, I gained a new opportunity not only to raise awareness of the problem but to do even more to solve it. I got to work right away.

By year’s end, my Senate colleagues and I had passed two landmark national security laws. The first was a major investment in American defense manufacturing. The second reformed the Pentagon’s outdated business policies, which for decades had kept the United States from rearming quickly. In 2026, my colleagues and I will implement and build on those actions.

Jumpstarting American Defense Industry

The United States cannot keep up with our enemies unless we maintain a vibrant defense manufacturing ecosystem. Last summer, Republicans devoted $150 billion to jumpstart that industry, which has languished in recent years. These funds have now begun flowing to the laboratories, factories, and shipyards of America. They support workers building both traditional defense assets and the systems that will dominate 21st century warfare—small drones, unmanned ships, artificial intelligence, and low-cost munitions.

That one-time capital infusion will allow companies to expand operations before Congress orders even more equipment. President Trump has called for a $1.5 trillion dollar defense budget for the next fiscal year. I enthusiastically agree with our commander-in-chief. When he announced that budget request, the president cited “these very troubled and dangerous times.” He is exactly right. We face a more complex array of threats than we have in our history.

President Trump used the professional and technical superiority of the American military to great effect in Operations Midnight Hammer and Absolute Resolve. But it will require several years of sustained investment to equip American warfighters for the challenge posed by China. To match Xi Jinping, we must have both a higher quantity and quality of military assets. We are working on nothing less than a generational re-building of our American military. Without that, we cannot ensure our safety through the 21st century.

Reforming Broken Pentagon Systems

It is necessary that we stretch every dollar to the max. Last year, I authored and helped pass legislation that will ensure the federal government spends wisely even as we spend more. That legislation, called the Forged Act, established the first real reforms to the Pentagon’s business practices since the Reagan era.

For decades, the federal government procured ships, aircraft, and weapons using methods no profitable business would approve. Burdensome compliance rules boxed out America’s best and brightest entrepreneurs. Erratic funding processes made life difficult for companies. Businesses rely on predictable budgets in order to plan for the future. But the government has been a bad customer, sending mixed demand signals. The bureaucratic dysfunction slowed production and was no match for today’s urgent threats.

In contrast, the Forged Act prioritizes commercial, rather than government-specific products. It repealed many of the burdensome requirements that favored established companies over innovative startups. I am working hand-in-hand with Secretary Hegseth to implement these reforms.

We will go even further this year. Congress will continue broadening the use of private capital in defense manufacturing. Investments like that will expand the industrial base—increasing competition, reducing the power of monopolies and duopolies, and rebuilding the American arsenal faster.

Mississippi has long been integral to this mission, and it will continue to be so. As defense manufacturing has changed in the 21st century, Mississippi has adapted. We produce cutting-edge tools and traditional systems for every zone of conflict—earning our label as a “multi-domain” state. In 2026, the United States is entering the next phase of our military rebuild. Mississippi will remain central to that mission, protecting Americans as we look out on an increasingly dangerous world.

This article is the weekly Wicker Report of U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, who is solely responsible for its content.