Two things the Space Force needs from Congress – and one thing it definitely doesn’t

Two things the Space Force needs from Congress – and one thing it definitely doesn’t
Two things the Space Force needs from Congress – and one thing it definitely doesn’t

In this op-ed, Todd Harrison dives into what the Space Forces needs in the 2024 NDAA, and what it doesn’t, to continue its maturing as the newest military service.

House Appropriators Fear Army Cuts, Continuing Resolution

House Appropriators Fear Army Cuts, Continuing Resolution
House Appropriators Fear Army Cuts, Continuing Resolution

“It looks like the Army’s going to take the lion’s share of the cuts,” possibly losing a tank brigade, warned Texas Republican John Carter.

NSC Memo May Spell End Of National Space Council

NSC Memo May Spell End Of National Space Council
NSC Memo May Spell End Of National Space Council

“What happens to the funds that were authorized and appropriated by Congress for the NSpC?,” a former space official wonders. 

Army, Navy Funds Unlikely For Space Force Until 2023

Army, Navy Funds Unlikely For Space Force Until 2023
Army, Navy Funds Unlikely For Space Force Until 2023

“The last thing Congress intended when creating the Space Force was to end up with four different space forces,” says CSIS’s Todd Harrison in a new analysis promoting a roles and missions review.

NGAD Strategy Faces Hill Headwinds

NGAD Strategy Faces Hill Headwinds
NGAD Strategy Faces Hill Headwinds

“The business case is a naïve bet on out-year operating cost savings – that’s an act the Hill has seen before, and it never pays off,” independent analyst Rebecca Grant says of the Digital Century Series concept.

Army, Air Force Get Serious On JADC2: Joint Exercises In 2021

Army, Air Force Get Serious On JADC2: Joint Exercises In 2021
Army, Air Force Get Serious On JADC2: Joint Exercises In 2021

“Gen. Brown” – the Air Force Chief of Staff – “and I are both committed to making this happen,” Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville tells Breaking Defense. “It starts at the top.”

DoD Budget Cuts Likely As $4 Trillion Deficit Looms

DoD Budget Cuts Likely As $4 Trillion Deficit Looms
DoD Budget Cuts Likely As $4 Trillion Deficit Looms

“I think the budget comes down sooner rather than later,” Mackenzie Eaglen, resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and former congressional staffer, said today.

Budget Battles: IC Costs Mean Air Force Gets Short Straw, Say Advocates

Budget Battles: IC Costs Mean Air Force Gets Short Straw, Say Advocates
Budget Battles: IC Costs Mean Air Force Gets Short Straw, Say Advocates

While service in-fighting for budget share is a perennial fact of political life, this year’s version resembles the fictional, to-the-death “Hunger Games,” as all the services struggle with an essentially flat 2021 DoD top line and a mandate to shift gears away from fighting against low-level insurgencies toward global competition with Russia and China.

Trump’s Claim Of $2.5 Trillion In DoD Dough: Not True

Trump’s Claim Of $2.5 Trillion In DoD Dough: Not True
Trump’s Claim Of $2.5 Trillion In DoD Dough: Not True

If you count next year’s budget, the president will be actually selling himself short. But his other superlatives are not justified.

SASC OKs Space Force, But Imposes Tight Oversight

SASC OKs Space Force, But Imposes Tight Oversight
SASC OKs Space Force, But Imposes Tight Oversight

SASC wants the Air Force and DoD “to come back to the oversight committee every single month” to explain how they are standing up the new Space Force — if it is finally approved by Congress.

Space Force: It’s Not Dead, But…

Space Force: It’s Not Dead, But…
Space Force: It’s Not Dead, But…

CSIS’s Todd Harrison, who supports the proposal, says his odds on the Space Force being fully approved by Congress this year are currently “slightly less than 50 percent.”

The Stellar Dance: US, Russia Satellites Make Potentially Risky Close Approaches

The Stellar Dance: US, Russia Satellites Make Potentially Risky Close Approaches
The Stellar Dance: US, Russia Satellites Make Potentially Risky Close Approaches

US GSSAP satellites moved to within 10 kilometers of five Russian GEO-based satellites between 2016 and 2018, new Russian space observation data shows.

Pentagon To Retire USS Truman Early, Shrinking Carrier Fleet To 10

Pentagon To Retire USS Truman Early, Shrinking Carrier Fleet To 10
Pentagon To Retire USS Truman Early, Shrinking Carrier Fleet To 10

The move could save more than $30 billion over 25 years to invest in high-tech weapons — but Congress is sure to explode in outrage.

Budget Busters: What to Look For in 2019 and Beyond

Budget Busters: What to Look For in 2019 and Beyond
Budget Busters: What to Look For in 2019 and Beyond

The release of the 2020 defense budget is still over a month away, and it’s already been a wild ride. A look at what has happened, and what might happen next.