WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force is preparing for a significant pivot in its technology acquisition strategy, signaling a willingness to abandon traditional procurement models in favor of commercially available solutions and allied technologies, according to Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein.
“We are looking at offloading some of our legacy capabilities to commercial, or to our allies,” Guetlein said March 18 at the McAleese & Associates annual defense programs conference in Washington.
The strategy shift comes amid broader Pentagon budget realignment efforts directed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who has mandated an internal reallocation of 8% of the Defense Department’s 2026 budget. This directive requires all military services to identify potential funding cuts and priority areas for reinvestment.
“We are looking at where I can actually stop some development programs and make an immediate pivot to commercial or an immediate pivot to our allies,” Guetlein explained.
Priorities in 2026 budget
The general outlined several priority areas where the Space Force seeks additional funding, including space superiority technologies — capabilities that enable unhindered U.S. operations in orbit despite potential space-based threats. Other focus areas include improved space domain awareness for tracking objects in orbit, and mesh networks to enhance satellite command-and-control capabilities.
“We want to exploit what we have… in ways we haven’t thought about before,” Guetlein said. “That’s the philosophy that we’re using” in the 2026 budget realignment process.
Guetlein’s remarks echo recent statements by Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, the Space Force’s acting senior acquisition executive, who discussed the service’s plans to adopt mature, available technologies rather than developing custom-built solutions.
While acknowledging criticism about the Space Force’s historically slow adoption of commercial innovations, Guetlein defended the service’s evolution. “If you look at how we were doing business five years ago, we have changed,” he insisted. “It may not look like it but we are changing.”
