Insider Brief
- The NSSA report urges doubling the Space Force budget to $60 billion annually by 2030 to maintain U.S. space dominance and counter growing threats.
- China and Russia have significantly expanded their military space capabilities, including satellite-based weapons, cyberattacks, and anti-satellite operations.
- The NSSA calls for streamlined procurement, increased commercial-military collaboration, and rapid technology deployment to prevent adversaries from outpacing the U.S.
The United States must double the Space Force’s budget over the next five years or risk losing dominance in the most critical domain of modern warfare, according to a recent report by the National Security Space Association (NSSA). The report warns that adversaries, particularly China and Russia, are rapidly advancing their military space capabilities while the U.S. response has been too slow.
The NSSA report, titled Accelerate or Lose, calls for the Space Force budget to increase from approximately $30 billion to $60 billion annually by 2030. Without this investment, the report argues, the U.S. will be unable to defend its interests in orbit and beyond, potentially ceding strategic control of space to its rivals.
Growing Threats from China and Russia
China has launched more than 400 satellites since 2022, with many designed for military applications, according to the NSSA. These include intelligence-gathering platforms, satellite jammers, and even satellites capable of physically attacking or disabling U.S. assets in space. The report also highlights China’s ambitions beyond Earth orbit, citing its push for a permanent presence on the Moon and recent tests of hypersonic glide vehicles capable of carrying nuclear payloads.
Russia, despite its focus on the war in Ukraine, remains an active threat in space. The NSSA warns of reports that Moscow is developing nuclear anti-satellite weapons that could devastate global satellite networks, including its own. The report also highlights Russia’s cyberattacks on U.S. satellite infrastructure and its history of launching surveillance satellites in close proximity to American assets.
Both countries have ignored international norms, the NSSA argues, citing Russia’s destructive anti-satellite missile tests and China’s advances in space-based weapons. General David Thompson, former Vice Chief of Space Operations, stated in the report that “both China and Russia are regularly attacking U.S. satellites with non-kinetic means, including lasers, radio frequency jammers, and cyber-attacks.”
U.S. Space Force and U.S. Space Command Need More Funding
The Space Force was created in 2019 as the first new branch of the U.S. military in over 70 years. While it has received increased funding, the NSSA contends that it remains too small and under-resourced to match the pace of adversarial developments.
The report calls for additional funding for U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM) as well, arguing that it needs greater resources to conduct operations and counter threats effectively.
The report states: “Neither the U.S. Space Force nor USSPACECOM is currently sized and structured to deliver the forces needed to deter or defeat adversaries in orbit and beyond.”
To meet the challenge, the NSSA recommends expanding the Space Force’s ability to rapidly acquire and deploy new technologies. The report criticizes the Pentagon’s slow acquisition process, arguing that China and Russia have exploited bureaucratic inefficiencies to outpace the U.S. in key areas. It calls for more flexible procurement strategies, including greater use of fixed-price contracts and partnerships with private industry.
A Call for Immediate Action
The NSSA report outlines several key recommendations, including:
- Increasing the Space Force budget to $60 billion by 2030, with a focus on resilience, deterrence, and operational effectiveness.
- Expanding U.S. Space Command’s resources to ensure readiness for orbital defense and rapid response to emerging threats.
- Speeding up acquisition processes to match the speed of commercial innovation and adversarial advancements.
- Investing in hybrid commercial-military space capabilities to leverage private-sector advancements and enhance deterrence.
- Developing countermeasures against anti-satellite threats, including space-based missile defense systems and advanced electronic warfare capabilities.
The report warns that failing to act will allow China and Russia to dictate the future of space security.
“Consequently, the United States must pivot to secure its position as the world’s leading spacefaring nation. The ability to exert influence or control over key orbits, resources, and lines of communication across the Earth-Moon system (or prevent another nation or group of nations from doing so) will be decisive in determining the outcome of the ongoing geostrategic contest and the future international order,” the NSSA states.
The Political and Strategic Landscape
Congress has shown growing interest in strengthening space defense, but budget constraints and competing priorities have slowed progress. While some lawmakers support expanding the Space Force’s capabilities, others question the need for a rapid budget increase. The NSSA argues that space is no longer just a supporting domain for terrestrial military operations—it is now a warfighting domain in its own right.
The report also ties increased investment in space security to broader national security goals, including protecting the U.S. nuclear deterrent and maintaining global economic stability. It emphasizes that commercial space infrastructure, such as communications and GPS satellites, is also at risk from adversarial actions.
The NSSA’s suggests that, without urgent investment, the U.S. could lose the ability to protect its national security interests in space. It calls for decisive action from both Congress and the White House to double the Space Force’s budget, streamline procurement, and ensure that the U.S. remains the world’s leading space power.
“The time to act is now. If we fail to accelerate, we will lose,” the report concludes.
The National Security Space Association (NSSA) is a U.S. trade association dedicated to promoting the health and vitality of the national security space enterprise, including military and intelligence space operations. It advocates for policies and investments that strengthen U.S. space capabilities, focusing on deterrence, operational effectiveness, and the integration of commercial and military space assets.
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