The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is an annual U.S. congressional statute that authorizes funding levels and policy provisions for the U.S. Department of Defense.
January 01, 2026
high
temporal
Describes the recurring legislative vehicle used by Congress to set defense funding and policy.
The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would authorize approximately $925 billion in defense spending.
January 01, 2026
high
temporal
Budgetary authorization level associated with the 2026 iteration of the NDAA.
U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) safety inspectors are tasked with examining facilities that manufacture explosive products for the military (for example, land mines and demolition charges) and typically conduct inspections about four times per year.
November 17, 2025
high
regulatory
Describes the regulatory role and inspection cadence of Pentagon safety inspectors for military-contract explosive manufacturing facilities.
SpaceX Starbase is located adjacent to Boca Chica Beach on the Texas side of the Rio Grande, and the Starbase launch facility operates under contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense and NASA.
November 17, 2025
high
industrial
SpaceX's Starbase functions as a commercial launch site that has contractual relationships with U.S. government agencies.
The U.S. Department of Defense commonly employs contractors to place signage identifying restricted or 'National Defense' areas.
November 17, 2025
medium
temporal
Practice of using contractors to mark restricted defense property.
The U.S. Department of Defense has used the name Operation Southern Spear to designate a broader anti-trafficking/anti-drug maritime effort.
November 16, 2025
high
military_operation
Identifies the official name applied to a U.S. military anti-trafficking initiative.
The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of responsibility supports U.S. force activities intended to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities, to disrupt narcotics trafficking, and to degrade and dismantle transnational criminal organizations.
November 02, 2025
high
temporal
Describes stated operational objectives of U.S. forces operating in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility.
The combined nuclear modernization and sustainment plans for 2025ā2034 of the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Energy total $946 billion, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
October 31, 2025
high
financial
Projected budgetary estimate for U.S. nuclear forces and related infrastructure covering fiscal years 2025 through 2034.
The U.S. Department of Defense routinely provides briefings to congressional committees that have jurisdiction over national security matters, such as the Senate Intelligence Committee.
October 29, 2025
high
general
Standard executive-legislative communication and oversight practice regarding national security.
The U.S. Department of State can request airlift support from the U.S. Department of Defense to transport food, water, and other relief supplies during international disaster response operations.
October 27, 2025
high
temporal
Interagency coordination allows diplomatic and defense departments to move humanitarian cargo when commercial transport is unavailable.
In 2025, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) issued memoranda that prohibited instruction on Critical Race Theory (CRT), diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), or "gender ideology," and barred use of official DoD resources for identity-month celebrations.
October 21, 2025
high
temporal
Describes DoD policy guidance relating to curriculum and official observances within Department of Defense institutions.
In U.S. Department of Defense terminology, 'low-intensity conflict' denotes combat that falls short of a conventional war between two countries and typically involves operations such as counterinsurgency or counterterrorism intended to achieve political objectives.
October 18, 2025
high
definition
Definition of a military category used to classify types of conflict.
The U.S. Department of Defense has an Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs that coordinates and approves departmental responses to congressional correspondence.
October 15, 2025
high
organizational
Describes the role of the DoD office responsible for managing interactions with Congress.
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) can establish access and media procedures for its facilities, but those policies are subject to legal constraints.
October 14, 2025
high
policy
Government agencies have authority to set facility access rules within the limits imposed by law and constitutional protections.
Journalists accredited to cover the U.S. Department of Defense are typically assigned workspaces and issued credentials that permit limited physical access inside the Pentagon.
October 14, 2025
high
institutional
Describes routine accreditation and access arrangements for reporters covering the Pentagon.
During a federal government shutdown, active-duty U.S. military personnel are required to continue performing their duties while their pay can be temporarily halted until appropriations are restored, after which back pay is typically provided.
October 05, 2025
high
temporal
Describes typical personnel and pay treatment for active-duty service members during lapses in federal appropriations.
During a federal government shutdown, non-essential civilian employees of the U.S. Department of Defense can be placed on furlough, which can reduce the civilian workforce supporting base operations and logistics.
October 05, 2025
high
temporal
Describes common furloughing of non-essential civilian defense employees during funding lapses.
SpaceX's Starbase launch site in Boca Chica, Texas operates under contracts with both NASA and the U.S. Department of Defense.
June 01, 2025
high
organizational
Starbase functions as a commercial launch and test site with contractual relationships with U.S. government agencies.
Govini develops artificial-intelligence software used by the U.S. Department of Defense and other government agencies to analyze large volumes of government and commercial data, including defense budgets, industrial-base capacity, supply chains, and acquisition programs.
April 01, 2025
high
temporal
Description of the company's core product and deployment areas.
In April 2025 Govini entered a 10-year agreement valued at $919 million with the U.S. Department of Defense and the General Services Administration to build a supply-chain risk platform.
April 01, 2025
high
temporal
Multi-year federal agreement to develop a supply-chain risk platform.
A 2025 U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission report found that China built roughly 350 new intercontinental ballistic missile silos and expanded its nuclear warhead stockpile by about 20% over the prior year.
January 01, 2025
high
statistical
Findings reported in the commission's 2025 annual report on U.S.-China security and economic issues.
The U.S. Department of Defense reported that in 2024 there were more than 350 unauthorized drone flights over about 100 U.S. military installations.
December 31, 2024
high
statistical
Defense Department count of unauthorized drone incursions over military sites during 2024
The U.S. Department of Defense reported that more than 27,000 drones were detected within 500 meters of the U.S. southern border during the last half of 2024.
December 31, 2024
high
statistical
Detection counts of small unmanned aerial systems near the U.S. southern border for the latter half of 2024
The rate of severe military aircraft accidents per 100,000 flight hours increased 55% in the 2024 U.S. Department of Defense budget year compared with the 2020 U.S. Department of Defense budget year.
July 31, 2024
high
temporal
Aggregate DoD internal figures tracking Class A aviation mishaps (most serious accidents).
The U.S. Marine Corps' rate of severe military aircraft accidents nearly tripled between the 2020 and 2024 U.S. Department of Defense budget years.
July 31, 2024
high
temporal
Service-specific change in Class A mishap rates according to DoD data.
The AH-64 Apache helicopter experienced about a 4.5-fold increase in its rate of Class A military aircraft accidents in the 2024 U.S. Department of Defense budget year compared with the 2020 U.S. Department of Defense budget year.
July 31, 2024
high
temporal
Aircraft-specific change in the rate of most serious (Class A) accidents reported by the DoD.
The C-130 transport plane nearly doubled its rate of Class A military aircraft accidents in the 2024 U.S. Department of Defense budget year compared with the 2020 U.S. Department of Defense budget year.
July 31, 2024
high
temporal
C-130 showed an approximately twofold increase in the DoD's Class A mishap rate across the period.
Between 2021-02-01 and 2024-05-01, the U.S. Department of Defense provided $48,812,351 in research funding to Washington University, Saint Louis University, and Vandeventer Place Research Foundation located in Missouri's 1st Congressional District.
May 01, 2024
high
temporal
Federal Department of Defense research grant records for Missouri's 1st Congressional District.
Between 2021-02-01 and 2024-05-01, Missouri's 1st Congressional District received $1,286,634,821.76 in U.S. Department of Defense contracts, primarily for missiles, military aircraft, and drone purchases with The Boeing Company.
May 01, 2024
high
temporal
Federal Department of Defense contract records showing contract values and primary vendors for projects linked to Missouri's 1st Congressional District.
Military-related public outreach activities such as aircraft flyovers, honor guards, and on-field flag unveilings are funded through the U.S. Department of Defense's annual budget.
January 01, 2023
high
institutional
Funding mechanism for military participation in public and sporting events.
In 2019 Govini received a five-year contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (Pentagon) valued at $400 million.
January 01, 2019
high
temporal
Historical federal contract award reported for the company.
Dick Cheney became U.S. Secretary of Defense in 1989 under President George H.W. Bush.
January 01, 1989
high
temporal
Cabinet-level appointment in the U.S. Department of Defense.
The U.S. Department of Defense uses the designation "controlled unclassified information" to identify certain unclassified information that may be restricted from public disclosure or dissemination.
high
policy
Explains the role of the 'controlled unclassified information' classification within DoD information-handling practices.
The U.S. Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General is structured to operate independently from other Department of Defense components.
high
organizational
Describes the intended independence and oversight role of the DoD Office of the Inspector General.
The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, commanders of the combatant commands, and the secretaries of each military department are senior leadership positions within the U.S. Department of Defense.
high
organizational
Identifies principal leadership offices in the Department of Defense organizational structure.
The U.S. Department of Defense has an Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs whose role includes coordinating legislative affairs and communications between the Department of Defense and the U.S. Congress.
high
organizational
Describes the DoD office responsible for managing legislative liaison and communications with Congress.
The Pentagon maintains an on-site press corps of credentialed journalists who hold access badges to report on the U.S. Department of Defense and the Defense Secretary.
high
institutional
Describes the Department of Defense's established media-access arrangement for journalists covering the Pentagon and its leadership.
U.S. Southern Command is the U.S. Department of Defense combatant command responsible for the Caribbean Sea, Central America, South America, and the surrounding waters.
high
organizational
Defines the geographic area of responsibility for a U.S. combatant command.
The U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities is responsible for overseeing the Department of Defense's global posture, guiding implementation of the National Defense Strategy, and developing plans to implement the president's foreign policy-related defense objectives.
high
organizational_role
Defines core responsibilities typically associated with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities.
Defense acquisition reform proposals include awarding larger and longer-duration contracts to incentivize defense companies to invest in production capacity and workforce training.
high
policy
Larger, multi-year contracts are intended to encourage industry investment in capacity and workforce development.
Defense acquisition reform proposals include replacing program executive offices (PEOs) with portfolio acquisition executives (PAEs) to create a single accountable official with greater decision-making authority over acquisition portfolios.
high
organizational
Consolidating authority under a single portfolio-level official is proposed to streamline decision making in acquisitions.
Defense acquisition reform proposals include revising the contract protest process to discourage frivolous claims and accelerate adjudication of protests.
high
policy
Amending protest procedures aims to reduce delays in contract awards caused by legal challenges.
Defense acquisition reform proposals favor shifting from bespoke, one-off weapon systems toward commercially available, tested systems and designing weapons as modular, upgradeable systems produced across networks of trusted factories to enable faster fielding and more rapid upgrades.
high
policy
Emphasizing commercial solutions and modular design is presented as a way to reduce development time and improve upgradeability.
The U.S. Department of Defense has implemented policies that restrict access to gender transitionārelated medical treatment for transgender service members.
high
policy
Describes a durable policy area affecting medical care for transgender troops across the U.S. military.