India, home to more than one-sixth of global population, became the world’s most populous country in 2023 and the fifth-largest global economy in 2025. Many factors contribute to the “great power” aspirations expressed by India’s government and many of its people: the country’s rich civilization and history; expanding…

Technological advantage has long contributed to the dominance of the U.S. Armed Forces. Some analysts and policymakers also suggest that U.S. technological superiority—and, by extension, national security—is at risk due to a number of factors. They include a rapidly evolving global landscape for innovation and the inc…

This report compiles congressional votes on legislation, including amendments and resolutions, related to the Israel-Hamas conflict that began on October 7, 2023. CRS compiled the information presented in this report from the Congress.gov, ProQuest Congressional, and CQ (Congressional Quarterly) databases.

The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for FY2026 authorized funding for the Department of Defense (DOD) military construction and family housing programs, and included policy provisions that may impact the management and oversight of these programs. (DOD is “using a secondary Department of War designation,” un…

The Infantry Squad Vehicle (ISV) The ISV (Figure 1) is a lightweight, unarmored ground transport vehicle developed by GM Defense (headquartered in Detroit, MI) intended to enhance the mobility of Army Mobile Brigade Combat Teams (MBCTs), Security Force Assistance Brigades (SFABs), and Army Special Operations Forces. A…

Prior to 2023, there were 10 major military installations named after Confederate Civil War commanders, all of which were located in the former states of the Confederacy. Nine of the bases were active-component Army installations and one was a state Army National Guard camp. Drawing on the authority of the Naming Comm…

Policymakers have debated whether the Federal Reserve (Fed) should create a central bank digital currency (CBDC)—a “digital dollar.” A CBDC would share some of the technical features of cryptocurrencies (crypto)—that is, private digital currencies, such as Bitcoin, which are unsupported by any government authority. Th…

Since the December 2024 collapse of the government of Bashar Al Asad, Syrians have pursued political and economic opportunities created by the end of the country’s 12-year civil war. Internal tensions and external pressures pose obstacles to the country’s transition. Transitional President Ahmed Al Sharaa led a group…

The FY2025 reconciliation law (P.L. 119-21; commonly known as “the One Big Beautiful Bill Act”) was signed into law on July 4, 2025. The act was established pursuant to H.Con.Res. 14, a budget resolution, which set budgetary goals for certain House and Senate committees. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce and…

The second Trump Administration’s Department of Defense (DOD) budget request for FY2026 included $848.3 billion in discretionary funding and $113.3 billion in mandatory funding (DOD is “using a secondary Department of War designation,” under Executive Order 14347, dated September 5, 2025). Of the discretionary funding…

On May 2, 2025, President Donald Trump submitted documentation supporting the FY2026 budget request, including proposed funding for the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), atomic energy defense activities primarily of the U.S. Department of Energy, and other national defense-related activities. (DOD is “using a secondar…

Background The Department of Defense (DOD), which is “using a secondary Department of War designation,” under Executive Order (E.O.) 14347 dated September 5, 2025, administers a statutory health entitlement (under Title 10, Chapter 55, of the U.S. Code) through the Military Health System (MHS). The MHS offers health c…

Overview The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (FY2026 NDAA, P.L. P.L. 119-60) was enacted on December 18, 2025. This law included several provisions related to military child care programs (see Table 1). The Department of Defense (DOD), which is using a secondary designation as the Department of…

Of the approximately $1.0 trillion requested in the FY2026 President’s budget for discretionary activities within the national defense budget function, $882.6 billion fell within the scope of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2026 (NDAA; H.R. 3838; S. 2296; S. 1071; P.L. 119-60). While the NDAA it…

The responsibilities of the Federal Reserve (Fed) fall into four main categories: monetary policy, regulation of certain banks and other financial firms, provision and oversight of certain interbank payment systems, and lender of last resort. This report summarizes issues for Congress in each of these areas, as well a…

The Constitution endows Congress with broad power over the Armed Forces, including to “raise and support Armies” and “provide and maintain a Navy.” In the exercise of these authorities, Congress typically sets the overall size—or end-strength—of the Armed Forces in an annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).…

The John Lewis (TAO-205) class oiler shipbuilding program is a program to build a new class of 20 fleet oilers for the Navy. The Navy procured the first TAO-205 in FY2016, and a total of 10 TAO-205s have been procured through FY2025. (The 10th was procured in FY2024, and no TAO-205s were procured in FY2025.) The first…

Congress and the executive branch have debated the merits of a new nuclear-armed sea-launched cruise missile (SLCM-N) since the weapon was proposed by the first Trump Administration in 2018. The Biden Administration proposed cancelling the SLCM-N program following its 2022 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR), a periodic asse…

Structure of the Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve Act of 1913 created the Federal Reserve (Fed) as the nation’s central bank. The Fed is composed of 12 regional Federal Reserve banks overseen by a Board of Governors in Washington, DC. Figure 1 illustrates the city in which each bank is headquartered and the area of…

The Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies appropriations (E&W) bill funds civil works activities of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in the Department of Defense; the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) and Central Utah Project (CUP); the Department of Energy (DOE); the…

The annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) has a history of regular passage. FY2025 marked the 64th consecutive fiscal year for which an annual defense authorization was enacted. Many policymakers and officials view the bill as a potential legislative vehicle for a range of policy matters. The enrolled versi…

The aircraft carriers CVN-78, CVN-79, CVN-80, CVN-81, CVN-82, and CVN-83 are the first six ships in the Navy’s new Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers (CVNs). The Navy’s proposed FY2026 budget requests $3,431.6 million (i.e., about $3.4 billion) in advance procurement (AP), procurement,…

Names for Navy ships traditionally have been chosen and announced by the Secretary of the Navy, under the direction of the President and in accordance with rules prescribed by Congress. Rules for giving certain types of names to certain types of Navy ships have evolved over time. There have been exceptions to the Navy…

Multiyear procurement (MYP) and block buy contracting (BBC) are special contracting mechanisms that Congress permits the Department of Defense (DOD) to use for a limited number of defense acquisition programs. Compared to the standard or default approach of annual contracting, MYP and BBC have the potential for reduci…

Introduction The Navy’s Light Replenishment Oiler (TAOL) program, previously called the Next-Generation Logistics Ship (NGLS) program, envisages procuring a new class of 13 at-sea resupply ships for the Navy. The Navy’s FY2026 budget submission suggests that the first TAOL is programmed for procurement in FY2028. The…

Russia has an extensive foreign intelligence system composed of several overlapping agencies that compete for bureaucratic, political, and often economic influence within the Russian government. Russia’s foreign intelligence agencies play a key role in advising and influencing Russia’s leadership, as well as in implem…

What Are Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA)? The U.S. Air Force is developing a new type of uncrewed weapon system called Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA). The Air Force plans to fly CCAs alongside new and existing crewed fighter jets to enhance operations in contested airspace. The Air Force describes CCAs, large…

Introduction The “cyber budget,” as it is known colloquially, of the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)—which is “using a secondary Department of War designation” under Executive Order 14347 dated September 5, 2025—is the aggregate of defense programs and activities related to cyberspace. The Senate Armed Services Commi…

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1995, overlapping strategic and economic interests have led the two countries to expand ties across a wide spectrum of issues. Particularly since 2010, shared concerns about the People’s Republic of China…

The Golden Dome for America (initially known as the Iron Dome for America) is an initiative of the second Trump Administration to develop an integrated air and missile defense system. President Donald J. Trump introduced the initiative in Executive Order (E.O.) 14186, dated January 27, 2025. Golden Dome is to combine…

The Republic of Iraq (Figure 1) sits at an intersection within the Middle East region, with ties to Iran, Turkey, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula shaping its interests, constraints, and opportunities. Iraq is emerging from decades of strife and conflict, and U.S.-Iraq security cooperation continues amid strains…

The Navy’s Columbia (SSBN-826) class ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) aims to design and build a class of 12 new SSBNs to replace the Navy’s current force of 14 aging Ohio-class SSBNs. Since 2013, the Navy has consistently identified the Columbia-class program as the Navy’s top priority program. The Navy procured th…

U.S. relations with Turkey (Türkiye), a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) ally, have alternated between close cooperation and notable division. Turkey and other “global swing states” such as Saudi Arabia and India seek advantages in a global system with intensifying great-power competition. While Turkey’s NATO…

The V-22 Osprey is a joint-service, multi-mission, medium-lift rotorcraft. The V-22 is a type of aircraft known as a tilt-rotor, which is a unique design for a crewed military aircraft. A tilt-rotor takes off and lands vertically like a helicopter but flies forward like an airplane by tilting the rotor blades atop eac…

U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM or SPACECOM) is one of 11 unified combatant commands (CCMDs) within the Department of Defense (DOD) and is responsible for U.S. military operations in space. The term unified combatant command refers to “a military command which has broad, continuing missions and which is composed of for…

Russia and Belarus have announced plans to conduct the strategic exercise Zapad-2025 from September 12 to 16, 2025. According to Russian Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Zapad-2025 is the “key event” for the Russian and Belarusian militaries in 2025. Consisting of a series of exercises on training ranges in Belarus a…

Introduction The Navy in FY2022 procured the first of a planned class of seven new TAGOS-25 class ocean surveillance ships. The Navy’s proposed FY2026 budget requests $612.2 million for the procurement of the second ship in the class. Meaning of TAGOS Designation In the designation TAGOS (also written as T-AGOS), the…

Introduction The Navy has been procuring Virginia-class nuclear powered attack submarines (SSNs) since FY1998. The Navy’s envisaged successor to the Virginia-class design is the Next-Generation Attack Submarine, or SSN(X). The Navy’s FY2025 budget submission deferred the envisaged procurement of the first SSN(X) from…