Battlefield role strengthens Space Force expansion drive
In 2019, during the creation of the U.S. Space Force, the service's architects promised Congress something modest. The new branch would largely consolidate existing Air Force space functions, not construct another layer of defense bureaucracy. It would be lean, agile and close to cost neutral — a reorganization more than an expansion.
Six years later, the service is rewriting that narrative.
The original sales pitch for the Space Force has given way to a different argument: space is too central and too contested for a minimalist service. The shift reflects a broader change in defense strategy: space is now treated not simply as an enabling function, but as a contested operational domain.
The operational case for more space capacity was underscored by the Feb. 28 U.S. airstrikes against Iranian targets, which highlighted how tightly integrated space has become with combat operations.
During a press conference on Monday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine said, "Coordinated space and cyber operations effectively disrupted communications and sensor networks across the area of responsibility, leaving the adversary without the ability to see, coordinate or respond effectively."
The remarks pointed to the central role of space-based sensing, communications and command-and-control in shaping the battlefield.
That operational reality is feeding directly into the service's internal budget debate.
Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, the Space Force's deputy chief of space operations for operations, put it plainly last week at the Air & Space Forces Association's Warfare Symposium in Colorado. "We've had a lot of increases, and we're going to have continued increases," he said.
The White House has yet to submit its fiscal 2027 budget request, typically delivered in March. Schiess declined to preview the specifics. "But I can tell you, if things are going the way that we think they are, the Space Force is going to have a significant increase," he said. "We have been very thankful to the administration and to Congress that has really given us significant budget growth since we stood up."
The unexpected advocates in the Pentagon
Schiess said the Space Force is receiving strong backing from the other services. "Right now, the other services, they're some of our biggest advocates," he said. During meetings of deputy chiefs, "the other services are doing my briefing for me." Across the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps, demand for targeting, missile warning, GPS and communications is rising.
Speaking alongside Schiess, Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon, the head of Space Force Combat Forces Command, echoed recent comments from Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman that the service's footprint no longer matches its workload.
"The Space Force we need probably needs to be twice as large as it is today in manpower, and also needs to grow in infrastructure and in kit," Gagnon said.
Combatant commanders are asking for more space support than the service can provide. "We currently can't say yes to all the asks because we're not large enough."
Schiess reinforced the point. "When we started out, we were lean and agile, which really kind of meant we're small and we don't have enough people," he added. "That's great, and we're doing great things with that, but we've got to increase the number of folks that we have … Guardians are taking on more responsibilities."
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