NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — A stopgap budget measure passed by lawmakers earlier this month may have averted a government shut down, but the continuing resolution set to stretch until mid-December will still carry considerable consequences for the Space Force, according to its new top uniformed official.
“We’re thankful that we have a CR for going into October [1], but I would really be more thankful if we had a budget,” Gen. Douglas Schiess, who was sworn in as the chief of space operations Sept. 3, said during a briefing with reporters today.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Air and Space Forces Association conference here, the general said roughly “90 percent” of the Space Force’s programs come from last year — meaning they can continue under a CR. But about 10 percent of the Space Force’s planned efforts can’t proceed without a new spending bill, or a special congressional carveout known as an anomaly, according to Schiess.
“It’s gonna slow us down, and the threat is not slowing down, so we have to continue to get after that. So I just urge our congressional colleagues and folks to get after getting us the budget,” he said.
Space Force Chief Master Sgt. John Bentivegna noted alongside Schiess that emerging missions like space control and space superiority previously “didn’t exist.” That means the Space Force “need[s] to be able to move forward and get an acquisition process so we can build and take possession of the systems” the service requires to accomplish its goals, he said.
Schiess takes the reins at a potential inflection point for the Space Force: After just seven years of existence, the Space Force is asking for a whopping $71.2 billion in fiscal 2027, up from $40 billion enacted in FY26. And by the end of the decade, officials are pushing to roughly double the nascent branch to roughly 20,000 Guardians and civilians.
The FY27 budget itself, however, currently hangs in the balance. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have cast doubt on the Trump administration’s $350 billion dollar reconciliation request for the Pentagon. The continuing resolution will also stretch until after the November elections, where polling shows Democrats are poised to potentially retake the House and Senate races.
Schiess in his first major keynote address as the Space Force’s top official today outlined three key priorities of “forging the Guardian ethos,” arming and growing the Space Force and “integrating Guardian power at scale.” He also echoed explosive remarks delivered by Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, who on Monday revealed that the Space Force possesses “space control weapons” in orbit.
“Let me be crystal clear: today, Guardians operate on-orbit weapons that can defend the joint force against space-enabled attacks,” Schiess said during his keynote. “And in the coming years, with the resources entrusted to us — by the way, we need your help, Congress — we will make disciplined and responsible choices about how we build and sustain our combat advantage, which means scaling our ability to respond to threats.”
Asked why officials chose to finally disclose orbital weaponry after years of circumspection, Schiess during the roundtable reasoned the disclosure provides deterrent value. He also noted that military leaders have openly discussed what they describe as concerning behaviors by Russia and China, such as the ability to grapple other satellites and change their orbits.
“I think at this point we are trying to say that we also need capabilities to not only defend the joint force from space-enabled attacks but defend our assets,” he said.
Within the Pentagon, “we’ve talked about it, and it’s time to talk about that we have the capabilities to make sure that we can do what the joint force needs us to do.”
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