INFOGRAPHIC: Evolution of Obama’s defense plans

Published January 20, 2015 5:30pm ET



President Obama takes the podium for his seventh address to Congress on Tuesday night in a security environment much changed from the threats he first addressed in 2009. This chart tracks the defense initiatives, drawdowns and priorities included by Obama in each of his State of the Union addresses.

In 2009, Obama inherited the final $514 billion defense budget (not including contingency funds) presented by President George W. Bush. That year, Obama addressed a joint session of Congress and began an agenda to bring more accountability into defense spending, remove all U.S. combat troops from Iraq, and close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

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