More Than 150 New Military Programs on Hold Under Continuing Resolution

WASHINGTON — The federal government rang in the new fiscal year under a continuing resolution (CR), which now bars the Pentagon from launching funding for any new defense programs—commonly referred to as “new starts.”

The consequences are extensive. A scan of the fiscal 2027 budget request uncovers over 150 new‑start initiatives that will be placed on hold while the CR remains in place. The affected projects range from multi‑billion‑dollar efforts such as the Golden Dome air‑defense system and hypersonic weapons to a wide array of smaller‑scale procurements and research programs across the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force.

Pentagon‑wide initiatives

The Golden Dome missile‑defense shield, a signature Trump administration priority, exemplifies the jeopardy created by the CR. The program was slated to receive $17.5 billion in FY27, but only about $400 million is allocated in the base budget; the remainder depends on the unresolved reconciliation package. Without a funding source, “there is no Golden Dome,” said Space Force Gen. Michael Guetlein, the program’s leader.

Another high‑visibility effort, the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group (DAWG) drone initiative, also faces a significant slowdown. The Pentagon had requested $54.6 billion for DAWG in FY27—$1 billion in the base budget and $53.6 billion from reconciliation. The absence of both a new budget and a reconciliation bill will likely force a major scaling back of the program.

Army programs

The Army lists 29 new‑start programs in its FY27 budget—17 under procurement and 12 under research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E). Highlights include the High Accuracy Detection and Exploitation System (HADES) spy‑plane effort, which seeks $131.7 million for platform integration and $15.3 million for high‑altitude balloons and payloads. The service also plans to spend $21 million to procure 34 heavy Infantry Squad Vehicles.

Under RDT&E, the Army’s largest new start is a $921.9 million request for the Terminal High Altitude Aerial Defense (THAAD) system, plus $132.1 million for the AN/TPY‑2 sensor that serves as THAAD’s “brain and eyes.” Other notable items are a $108.1 million request for the Maneuver‑Short Range Air Defense (M‑SHORAD) Increment 4 program and various directed‑energy, tactical‑bridging, and Arctic‑mobility projects.

Navy and Marine Corps initiatives

The Department of the Navy’s FY27 budget contains 17 new starts. Among the most prominent are funding for the Trump‑class battleship—approximately $1 billion in advance procurement and $837 million in RDT&E—and two submarine tenders valued at $4.4 billion to support Virginia‑ and Columbia‑class submarines.

Additional new starts include a $450 million bulk‑fuel vessel procurement, the Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) hypersonic missile program seeking $750 million for the first 12 weapons, and a range of auxiliary and logistics assets. These programs are all frozen under the CR.

Air Force efforts

Approximately 100 Air Force new‑start programs are affected. Among the high‑visibility items are the ARRW hypersonic glide‑weapon increment, an air‑launched ballistic missile effort, and the separate hypersonic cruise missile (HACM) development. The Family of Affordable Mass Missiles (FAMM) program, which plans to buy tens of thousands of weapons, is also stalled.

Other initiatives include the Looking Glass‑Next airborne command‑post effort, the Next‑Generation Survival Radio (replacing the Combat Survivor Evader Locator), the Large Aircraft Survivability System (LASS) active‑defense development, and procurement of a single C‑37 executive‑airlift aircraft. Production of the Collaborative Combat Aircraft drone wingmen—selected from General Atomics and Anduril—will also be constrained without FY27 funding.

Space Force programs

The Space Force’s FY27 budget seeks $71 billion, but nine new‑start projects will be frozen. The largest is the $1.5 billion Autonomous Tactical Fabric software program, slated to grow to $6.8 billion through 2031. Also on hold are the Resilient Ground Architecture ($196 million), the Commercial Geostationary EO/IR acquisition ($37.9 million), and a Space Force‑specific TENCAP effort ($10.6 million) aimed at rapid intelligence exploitation.

Procurement new starts include four relocatable facilities for operations centers ($350 million), a deployable SCIF ($2 million), advance procurement for the third and fourth Evolved Strategic SATCOM satellites ($140 million), and a Bounty Hunter “BH‑Secondary” unit ($8.9 million) for detecting electromagnetic interference with U.S. satellites.

The CR is currently set to expire on Dec. 11, but lawmakers warn that a full‑year resolution or another shutdown remains possible. Without a finalized FY27 budget, the 150+ programs in limbo could face prolonged delays, potentially affecting U.S. war‑fighting capabilities at a time when emerging threats are accelerating.

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