The rapid development of the U.S. Space Force is necessary to protect and defend our national security interests and to maintain international norms and global stability in the Space domain. This includes the accelerated acquisition of cost effective space systems ranging from satellite constellations, command & control, sensors, defensive effectors, and offensive effectors.

Russia and China are clearly and recklessly willing to destabilize space, demonstrating anti-satellite weapons, intercepting and destroying targets in space and creating massive debris fields that put all- military, commercial, and scientific- space at risk. They are doing this with absolutely no consequences from the international community. The U.S. should not tolerate these unacceptable Chinese and Russian anti-satellite demonstrations, as well as their trailing, probing, and close maneuvering around U.S communication hubs, sensors, and space satellites. These U.S. systems are extremely vulnerable to these Chinese and Russian space attacks. As just one example, the ability to execute ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) defense rely upon space capabilities. There are numerous other examples. The United States, our allies, and our supporting partners, would be absolutely crippled in any regional or strategic contingency without the use of Space.

America starts with an advantage on the space front. The U.S. military has approached space with a new tone of seriousness thanks to General Hyten’s focus on space as a war-fighting realm. In the past, the U.S. has been a leader on the peaceful use of space for commercial and scientific development. These norms are now being challenged by the Russian military, as well as China’s space program, which is controlled by the PLA to advance the goals of the Chinese Communist Party. Like Russia, the PLA has consistently sought dual-use benefits from its space programs which is consistent with China’s terrestrial quest for economic and military dominance. China and Russia have increasingly focused on space dominance as a means to achieving political ends. In order to prevent adversaries from achieving space dominance, the U.S. must deny them the ability to exploit space and demonstrate that attacks on U.S. space systems will not degrade the overall capability of the U.S. military.  

It is time for action. Faster, more effective, and more resilient than ever before. The United States Space Force is asking Congress for a sizable budget increase to sufficiently resource the force to defend the Space Domain from Chinese and Russian aggression. This is a critical imperative that all Americans must understand, and Congress must support it.

There is a lot of Space between us and a lot of Space to work within. But China and Russia want to take that away. It’s a matter of will to not let that happen.