Congress just got hit with a staggering $2.4 billion wish list from the National Guard Bureau for fighter jets and readiness upgrades—because in a country printing trillions for pork, apparently defending the homeland still has to beg for scraps.
At a Glance
- The National Guard Bureau’s $2.4 billion unfunded priorities list for FY26 puts modern fighter jets and readiness at the top of the ask.
- Most of the request targets nine new F-15EX jets and more F-35As for aging Air National Guard squadrons, which are falling behind in capability.
- This annual “unfunded” list is a direct result of years of chronic underfunding and bureaucratic neglect by Pentagon bean counters.
- The process highlights a two-tiered system where America’s citizen-soldiers play second fiddle to regular forces—until a crisis hits.
National Guard’s Billion-Dollar Begging Bowl: Fighter Jets or Bust
The National Guard Bureau has officially tossed Congress a $2.4 billion unfunded priorities list for fiscal year 2026, and surprise—at the top are nine F-15EX jets and a handful of F-35As for the Air National Guard. Apparently, defending U.S. airspace still isn’t “sexy” enough to make the regular budget. Instead, the Guard’s aging fighter squadrons have to wait in line and hope Congress finds some spare change after blowing billions on foreign aid or bureaucratic “climate initiatives.” The Air Guard is left with increasingly obsolete jets as active-duty squadrons modernize, creating a readiness gap that only gets noticed when the balloon goes up.
The FY26 request isn’t a fluke. It’s the latest in a pattern that’s become all too familiar: every year, the Guard submits a long list of needs the Pentagon ignored, and every year, Congress handpicks which emergencies it’ll support. The FY25 list clocked in at $2.66 billion, with six F-15EXs and six F-35As on the menu. Now the Guard is forced to play defense not just against potential adversaries but against bureaucratic indifference. It’s a system that would be comical if it weren’t so dangerous for national security.
A Process Born of Neglect—And the Guard Pays the Price
This annual scramble dates back to a 1981 Congressional order forcing the Pentagon to at least acknowledge National Guard and Reserve needs. Instead of being integrated into the main Department of Defense budget, the Guard’s “unfunded” priorities are tacked on like an afterthought through a separate fund. The National Guard Reserve Equipment Appropriation (NGREA) was created to bridge this gap, but all it’s really done is mask the dysfunction: the Air National Guard averages less than $500 million a year from NGREA, a rounding error in the overall defense budget.
As a result, the Guard’s readiness and modernization needs are perpetually shortchanged. The Air National Guard is expected to respond to crises at home and abroad with secondhand equipment, and then gets criticized when it can’t keep up. The two-tiered system all but ensures our citizen-airmen are always behind the curve—until a disaster or conflict exposes the folly of this approach.
Congressional Theater: Appropriations, Advocacy, and the Usual Song and Dance
The $2.4 billion request is now in the hands of Congress, where appropriators will sift through the list and dole out money as they see fit. Both the House and Senate have already included language in their FY25 bills to address “unfunded priorities,” but don’t expect miracles. Advocacy groups like EANGUS and NGAUS are out in full force, warning anyone who will listen that the Guard’s ability to protect the homeland is eroding—while defense contractors like Boeing and Lockheed Martin quietly root for more fighter sales.
Meanwhile, the Guard’s fate is largely determined by political wrangling and backroom deals. Governors lobby for their states’ units, defense companies push for contracts, and the Pentagon continues to treat the Guard like a budgetary afterthought. All the while, the men and women who actually defend the country watch as their needs are debated like pawns on a chessboard.
The Real Costs: Readiness, Jobs, and the Future of America’s Defense
If Congress delivers, the Air National Guard will receive the jets and resources needed to stay relevant in a rapidly changing security environment. That means better readiness, more jobs near Guard bases, and a boost to the defense industrial base. But the bigger question is why, year after year, America’s primary reserve force is forced to justify its very existence while taxpayer money is thrown at every bloated government program imaginable.
Relying on annual “unfunded” wish lists is no way to run a military, let alone a country. This broken process perpetuates uncertainty, undermines morale, and sends a clear message: the men and women who serve in the Guard are valued—just not as much as the latest pet project or foreign handout. If Congress is serious about defense, it’s time to stop treating the Guard like a side hustle and start funding it like the indispensable pillar of national security that it is.
