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Congress passed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act on July 3, and U.S. President Donald Trump signed it into law on July 4. The bill includes an increase in defense spending, so we asked five experts to consider the implications for some of the Trump administration’s top defense priorities: nuclear modernization, personnel recruitment and retention, shipbuilding, space capabilities, and Golden Dome.Read more below.Heather Williams Director, Project on Nuclear Issues and Senior Fellow, Defense and Security Department, at the Center for Strategic and International StudiesTrump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act provided long-awaited signals about the administration’s commitment to nuclear modernization, particularly investments in more B21 Raiders, the nuclear sea-launched cruise missile, and converting Ohio-class submarine tubes “to accept additional missiles” when the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty expires in 2026. These commitments resonate with the findings of the 2023 bipartisan Strategic Posture Commission, which concluded that nuclear modernization plans were “not sufficient to enable the nuclear strategy … to address an unprecedented two-nuclear-peer threat environment.”These necessary short-term investments signal a commitment to enhancing America’s nuclear deterrent. However, they are the first of many necessary steps. Other follow-on steps and signals the administration will need to send include investment in a new stand-off capability, support capabilities such as tankers, plans for risk reduction to work in tandem with deterrence, and working with allies to strengthen regional deterrence. If this is a signal of the administration’s direction of travel, it seems to be pointing towards a seriousness about deterrence to meet the strategic moment.Katherine Kuzminski Director of Studies at the Center for a New American SecurityThe One Big Beautiful Bill Act equips both the Department of Defense and military services with the tools to improve recruitment and retention. It specifically allocates $50 million for bonuses, special pay, and incentive programs across the services.