WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force is grappling with a shrinking budget even as the Pentagon acknowledges the growing importance of space in modern military operations, the service’s top general said March 26.
“We are literally shrinking in resources as a Space Force,” Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, said at the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, his first appearance at the think tank following a dispute over a white paper that criticized the service’s strategic posture.
Saltzman’s comments come in the wake of Congress’ passage of a full-year continuing resolution (CR) for fiscal year 2025, which allocates $28.7 billion for the Space Force — $800 million less than requested and $300 million below its 2024 budget.
“The year-long CR is problematic,” Saltzman noted, though he acknowledged that Congress provided some flexibility with “reprogramming and new starts, things that traditionally hamstring us in a continuing resolution period.”
He cautioned that in real-dollar terms, the Space Force is on a downward trend. “Even if you don’t account for inflationary adjustments, we’re still shrinking in real dollars, and so it is a concern,” he said.
“I’m worried that we’re not going to be able to keep pace, certainly the way we want to,” he said, referring to U.S. efforts to ensure dominance in space as China and Russia continue to develop and deploy anti-satellite weapons.
U.S. officials have warned that China, in particular, has rapidly expanded its space-based military capabilities, deploying sophisticated surveillance satellites, developing anti-satellite missiles, and investing in electronic warfare systems that could disrupt U.S. satellite communications and missile warning systems. The Pentagon has identified space as a contested domain, emphasizing the need for resilient satellite constellations and enhanced defensive measures.
The Space Force, established in December 2019 as the newest branch of the U.S. armed forces, is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping space forces to protect U.S. and allied interests in space.
2026 budget realignment
Looking ahead, the Space Force, along with other military branches, faces a broader budget realignment for fiscal year 2026. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered an 8% internal reallocation across the Department of Defense (DoD), requiring each branch to identify potential cuts and areas for reinvestment.
While acknowledging the need for realignment under a new administration, Saltzman expressed optimism that the Space Force might be spared significant reductions. He pointed to increasing Pentagon recognition of space as a critical warfighting domain, with Hegseth recently reinforcing this view in discussions with Space Force leadership.
“There’s no learning curve there,” Saltzman said of Hegseth. “I don’t have to educate him. He understands exactly what we need to be thinking about.” According to Saltzman, Hegseth described space as the most important domain in modern warfare.
With the 2026 budget allocations still under review, Saltzman remains hopeful that the Space Force will maintain its funding levels. “We believe we need to keep everything we have,” he said.
