U.S. Space Force leaders are expressing concern over a growing disparity between their budget and the service’s expanding mission demands. Brig. Gen. Brian Denaro, the military assistant to the secretary of the Air Force who oversees the Space Force budget, highlighted this gap at the Global Aerospace Summit.
“We’re going to need to invest in new capabilities,” Denaro stated, emphasizing that current funding is inadequate to meet the military’s need for satellite services like GPS, communications, weather forecasting, missile warning, and remote sensing, while also modernizing the space architecture to counter potential threats from China and Russia.
His remarks echo those of Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, who recently proposed a two to three-fold increase in the Space Force’s budget to address emerging needs. This growing financial gap coincides with concerns about adversaries developing technologies to disrupt or disable American satellites during conflicts.
The Space Force’s fiscal year 2024 budget stands at $29 billion, representing an increase from the $26.3 billion enacted for fiscal 2023 but still short of the service’s $30 billion request. However, Kendall pointed to the unique budgetary challenges facing the Space Force, where a significant portion of its funding is dedicated to research and development, limiting flexibility to meet immediate needs.
Despite the budgetary constraints, the Space Force is actively pursuing initiatives like the establishment of a “space futures” command for long-term modernization planning and enhancements to training infrastructure. The service is also advocating for increased investment in space launch services, currently budgeted at $1 billion to $2 billion annually.
“We need to put more capabilities on orbit,” Denaro stressed, emphasizing the need to capitalize on commercial innovations in the space industry. He added, “We’re hoping that there’s an increase in the budget so we can get after those things that the joint force needs.”