National Guard adds F-15EXs, F-35s to $2.4B unfunded wish list for FY26

WASHINGTON — The National Guard Bureau would buy more F-15EXs and F-35s if it had more money in its budget for fiscal 2026, it says in a $2.4 billion unfunded wish list sent to Congress.

Fighter procurement makes up the bulk of the Guard’s annual unfunded priorities list, with $1 billion included for nine Boeing-made F-15EX jets and $556 million for six Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

The additional F-15EX procurement is needed to ensure Guard squadrons in Oregon, California and Louisiana have a standard number of aircraft, paying for three backup aircraft for each squadron.

While the unfunded priority list doesn’t specifically claim President Donald Trump’s recent surprise announcement of an additional F-15EX squadron in Selfridge, Mich., as a reason why the extra jets are necessary, the Guard does reference the decision in its explanation. The addition of a squadron at Selfridge has raised questions among lawmakers about potential delays to F-15EX beddown plans for other states.

For the F-35s, the Guard states the jets would help “fulfill integration requirements on the F-35 to support operations in the highly contested environment,” and add aircraft that are needed by a training unit in Oregon as well as for an Air National Guard F-35 Combined Test Fleet at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida.

Besides the fighter jets, the Guard included one other equipment need on its list: $417 million for 54 sets of conformal fuel tanks for the F-15EX, which would “increase combat range and capability required” for operations in the Indo-Pacific.

The unfunded priority lists are typically used by Congress to figure out where to boost funding for pet weapons programs, with the National Guard a usual beneficiary of the process given Guard units’ close ties to individual lawmakers seeking perks for their home states. Although fighter jet requirements are likely to grab the headlines — and potentially extra funding — they rank at the bottom of the Guard’s six item list, which prioritizes personnel and current operations.

The top priority, at a cost of $203 million, is an increase in dual status technician pay — a sum that the Guard states is needed because current funding only covers about 94 percent of the cost to meet the authorized requirement.

“This funding shortfall negatively impacts the Adjutant General’s ability to provide trained Soldiers for the ARNGs [Army Reserve National Guard’s] dual role as the primary combat reserve of the Army and support to the state Governors for support to civil authorities,” the list states.

With additional funding, the Guard would have also sought bolster weapon system sustainment, with $134 million needed to cover Air National Guard aircraft and engine inductions. It also included $55.7 million for infrastructure projects across the Army and Air National Guard.

This year’s unfunded list is roughly the same size as the FY25 version, which clocked in at $2.7 billion.