The Defense Department's proposed military intelligence program budget for fiscal year 2026 aligns with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's strategic lines of effort both at home and abroad, according to a trio of senior intelligence officials who testified yesterday at a House Armed Services Committee intelligence and special operations subcommittee posture hearing on Capitol Hill.
Dustin J. Gard-Weiss, performing the duties of the undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security; Army Lt. Gen. William J. Hartman, performing the duties of director of the National Security Agency and acting commander of U.S. Cyber Command; and Air Force Lt. Gen Jeffrey A. Kruse, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, explained that the budget request enables the government's defense, intelligence and security personnel to "confront the array of global threats" facing the United States, its allies and partners.
"These experts comprise the enterprise that provides intelligence, informed insights and options to the secretary of defense, in support of the secretary's priorities of restoring the warrior ethos, rebuilding the military and reestablishing deterrence," Gard-Weiss told the committee.
He added that the proposed budget reflects the "America first" defense policy and the strategic priorities of both President Donald J. Trump and the secretary.
Additionally, Gard-Weiss said the 2026 budget request reflects focused investments in capabilities and initiatives to support Hegseth's three priority lines of effort: defending the homeland, deterring China and supporting increased burden sharing with U.S. allies and partners.
In partnership with DOD and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Hartman said, NSA is focused on the current priorities of modernizing capabilities, defending the homeland, and the core functions of code-making and code-breaking.
"Both [Cybercom and NSA] have taken comprehensive and concrete actions in support of homeland defense, including improving support to U.S. government disruption activities with cartels operating in Mexico and along the southern border, and in the development of [the] Golden Dome [missile defense shield] for America," Hartman said.
Although the U.S. is facing a threat from transnational criminal organizations, drug traffickers and terrorist groups, Kruse said, DIA is working to counter any challenges.
"Our long-standing cooperation with law enforcement agencies has enabled DIA to respond quickly [by surging] analytic, collection, scientific and technical capabilities to support [U.S. Northern Command], [U.S. Southern Command], the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI," he said.
Like Cybercom and NSA, Kruse said DIA provides "authoritative intelligence assessments" to assist DOD in designing and deploying the defenses necessary to support the Golden Dome initiative.
He also said DIA is responsible for collecting intelligence in lesser, "low priority" theaters against counterterrorism overseas.
"The challenge that we have is, how [does DIA] balance the remaining capabilities on the lower priority systems while we move out extraordinarily aggressively? And I think when you see the [fiscal year] 26 budget come forward, you'll see DIA and the administration reaching heavily into the current priorities," Kruse said.
Also overseas, Gard-Weiss said the proposed budget will support deterring China's aggression in the Indo-Pacific region.
"[This is done through] a new generation of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities matched to the threat in support of combat-credible military forces in the Western Pacific," he said.
Additionally, the military intelligence program will prioritize investment in American workers and technology, reflecting Hegseth's emphasis on strategic discipline and fiscal responsibility.
"The [budget] will support [DOD's] ability to execute its programs needed to address these global challenges, and [congressional] support is critical to achieving the president's vision of peace through strength and ensuring that our intelligence capabilities remain second to none," Gard-Weiss said.