WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Pentagon unveiled a fiscal 2027 budget proposal requesting tens of billions of dollars for drones, air defense systems, fighter jets and expanded munitions stockpiles. President Donald Trump has proposed boosting defense spending to $1.5 trillion in the 2027 budget.

The plan would triple spending on drones and related technology to more than $74 billion, allocating nearly $54 billion for military drones and related technology and $21 billion for weapons systems designed to take down enemy drones. The proposal also calls for investing more than $30 billion in critical munitions, including missile interceptors and the purchase of Precision Strike Missiles and Mid-Range Capability missile systems used by the U.S. Army.

Drones, air defense systems and fighter jets have been a key part of fighting the Iran war, during which stockpiles of missile interceptors have become critically low. The spending blueprint was developed ahead of the conflict in the Middle East, and military officials did not discuss how much they will request in additional funds for the Iran war.

"The overlap, you'll see is the request for munitions, which is something we always need. We always need to increase our magazine depth. But outside of that, there aren't any operational costs in here from Iran," said Jules Hurst III, Acting Undersecretary of Defense and Pentagon Comptroller.

The missile interceptors under the most strain are the Patriot and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) air defense systems. The THAAD system is designed for defeating medium-range ballistic missiles, while the Patriot system is designed for taking down short-range ballistic missiles and crewed aircraft. Both systems were used to shoot down Iranian drones. Drones and other unmanned vehicles have been used in the wars in Ukraine and Iran.

The Pentagon also intends to grow the military by 44,500 troops, or more than 2%, and to spend more than $2 billion on operations on the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the 2027 budget. The proposal includes the largest shipbuilding request since 1962.