The Reserve Components (RCs) of the Armed Forces (the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, Navy Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, and Coast Guard Reserve) largely consist of personnel who hold full-time civilian positions and are called to duty on a periodic basis. Reservists serve un…

The U.S. Air Force deploys three strategic (or heavy) bombers—the B-52, B-1B, and B-2—to carry bombs or air-to-surface missiles for conventional and nuclear missions. Bombers carry heavy ordnance loads across long distances, for extended periods of time, to strike adversary targets of tactical and strategic importance…

Congress has oversight over the five federal service academies including the three U.S. military service academies—U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Air Force Academy, and U.S. Military Academy—under the Department of Defense; the U.S. Coast Guard Academy under the Department of Homeland Security; and the U.S. Merchant Marine…

On April 3, 2026, President Donald Trump submitted documentation supporting the President’s FY2027 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 activities. (DOD is “using a se…

Following the February 2026 expiration of the 2010 New START arms control agreement, which reduced U.S. and Russian strategic offensive nuclear forces, some Members of the 119th Congress have held hearings and debated legislative proposals related to nuclear risk reduction. Nuclear risk reduction generally refers to i…

Of the approximately $1.15 trillion that the second Trump Administration requested for FY2027 discretionary activities within the national defense budget function, $1.14 trillion fell within the jurisdiction of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees and the scope of proposals for a National Defense Authorizati…

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is a semiautonomous agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). NNSA is responsible for maintaining the U.S. nuclear weapons stockpile, carrying out nuclear nonproliferation activities and nuclear and radiological emergency response, and providing nuclear reac…

Overview. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, largest democracy, top oil producer, and one of its largest economies. It is the United States’ second-largest trade partner in Sub-Saharan Africa and has often ranked among the top 10 recipients of U.S. aid globally. Nigerians are the largest Africa-born population…

The second Trump Administration’s Department of Defense (DOD) budget request for FY2027 included $1.1 trillion in discretionary funding and $350.0 billion in mandatory funding. (DOD is “using a secondary Department of War designation,” under Executive Order 14347, dated September 5, 2025.) DOD requested $413.1 billion…

The United States and Israel have cooperated closely for decades, reflecting assessments across several Administrations and Congresses that the countries share a number of strategic interests, including in countering mutual threats from other regional states and militant groups. Large-scale U.S. assistance, as approve…

Introduction Delphi Technologies is a parts and components supplier to automakers that was spun off from General Motors (GM) in 1999. In May 2009, Delphi’s pension plans were terminated, and responsibility for the payment of plan participants’ benefits was turned over to the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC)…

U.S. European Command (USEUCOM, commonly referred to as EUCOM) is 1 of 11 combatant commands (CCMDs) within the Department of Defense (DOD, which is “using a secondary Department of War designation,” under Executive Order 14347 dated September 5, 2025). EUCOM was established in 1947 and is responsible for the “command…

Syria is in the midst of a political transition shaped by the legacies of decades of authoritarian rule and more than a decade of unrest and conflict that displaced millions and killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians from 2011 through 2024. Ahmed Al Sharaa, whose movement ousted the Iran- and Russia-backed regime of…

Overview The U.S.-South Korea (Republic of Korea, or ROK) alliance dates to the 1950-1953 Korean War, during which more than 36,000 Americans died in-theater helping South Korea repel an invasion by North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK) intended to reunify the country under communist rule. An Ar…

The Republic of Iraq (Figure 1) sits at a crossroad in the Middle East region, with ties to Iran, Turkey, the Levant, and the Arabian Peninsula that shape Iraqi interests, create constraints and opportunities, and attract intervention. In May 2026, Shia Arab businessman Ali Al Zaydi was sworn in as Prime Minister afte…

Since February 2026, U.S./Israel-Iran conflict in the Persian Gulf region and the de facto closure of the Strait of Hormuz to most shipping have presented fundamental risks to the security and economic vitality of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries—Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Oman, K…