As senior officials from the Space Force intensify their push for a significant increase in funding ahead of the Pentagon’s fiscal 2026 budget request, several key priorities have emerged for these new financial resources. These priorities include alternatives to GPS, more reliable satellite communications (SATCOM), and improved intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) to better support warfighters on the battlefield, according to the Space Force’s vice chief.
Highlighting the escalating threats posed by China and Russia, Gen. Michael Guetlein stated at the Defense News conference on Wednesday that the Space Force requires an influx of capital to enhance traditional space support services for combatant commanders and to strengthen both offensive and defensive capabilities against adversary space systems.
“We need additional resources to meet the increasing demand for capability,” he said. “At just 3 percent of the DoD budget, the Space Force provides tremendous value to the nation. Every dollar invested yields asymmetric returns, while every cut risks asymmetric losses. Given the continuous advancements by competitors, the Space Force budget requires more resources, not fewer, to effectively fulfill our mission.”
Gen. Guetlein noted that Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has asserted that the Space Force needs to “double or triple over time” its current annual budget of approximately $30 billion to adequately fund its assigned missions. Kendall’s statement echoes a May assessment by prominent space budget analysts, who found that the Space Force’s current five-year budget plan is essentially flat and fails to fully support all new acquisition programs being initiated.
Supporting the Joint Force
Guetlein emphasized that, to ensure “space capabilities will be available when needed” by military forces, investment in both SATCOM and “more resilient SATCOM” is crucial for maintaining connectivity across the Joint Force.
“We know we need more satellite communications capacity, and we anticipate a significant increase in demand in the coming years, especially during times of crisis or conflict. The additional capacity will come from domestic investments in organic SATCOM solutions such as the Wideband Global SATCOM system and the Mobile User Objective Satellite system,” he explained.
Increased bandwidth will also be derived from commercial partnerships through the Commercial SATCOM Office, as well as international collaborations with countries like Norway and Luxembourg.
Furthermore, Guetlein pointed to the Space Development Agency’s plan for a Transport Layer of low latency, high capacity data relay satellites in low Earth orbit as a critical capability for the future. “This framework is foundational for programs like the Combined Joint All Domain Command and Control System (CJADC2), which facilitates shared command and operational pictures across the Joint Force and our allies,” he said.
Gen. Guetlein stressed the need for “resilient position, navigation, and timing” capabilities, which include “alternative methods to GPS.” He noted that the Space Force has already begun studies and low-level efforts associated with what is referred to as Resilient GPS through Kendall’s “quick start” initiative, bolstered by $100 million approved by Congress as part of the FY24 National Defense Authorization Act.
‘Protect and Defend’
In addition, Guetlein stated that the service is focused on preventing adversaries from exploiting space against the United States. He elaborated that the Space Force continues to invest in capabilities to counter adversary strategies in three primary areas: enhanced space domain awareness to eliminate operational surprises, increased SATCOM to support joint warfighters, and protecting U.S. space capabilities to negate adversarial advantages.
While much of this countermeasure equipment is classified, Gen. Guetlein noted that the mission includes “building protective measures into our next-generation platforms, diversifying capabilities to remove single points of failure, and proliferating assets across multiple orbits to expand their operational reach.” This includes establishing partnerships with allies and industry to share threat intelligence.
He acknowledged that improved SATCOM, moving target indications, and reliable GPS will all be critical in helping the Space Force and Joint Force counter adversarial space systems and prevent those adversaries from targeting U.S. military forces.
“We are working diligently to avoid operational surprises and to ensure our adversaries cannot gain a first-mover advantage in space,” Gen. Guetlein stated.
While acknowledging that budgetary trends, particularly on Capitol Hill, do not seem favorable for significant increases, he insisted that the Space Force is focusing on its top priorities. “We are definitely sacrificing some areas due to limited resources,” he stated. “We understand we can’t acquire everything we need, so we are rigorously prioritizing all equipment purchases to ensure we achieve maximum effectiveness during crises or conflicts.”
