The U.S. Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Department of Defense, established in December 2019. Its primary role is to organize, train, and equip space forces to protect U.S. and allied interests in space by ensuring space superiority. The USSF manages space launch operations, satellite operations, space environment surveillance, and satellite defense, and partners with organizations like NASA on space domain awareness and planetary defense. Key areas of focus include missile warning, satellite communications, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) services.
All verified mentions of this organization in source documents.
The U.S. Space Force is planned to be a service of about 16,000 people.
The law requires the Department of Defense to submit a report 2020-03 with recommendations on how reserve components would support the U.S. Space Force.
The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act created the U.S. Space Force on 2020-12-20.
The U.S. Space Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center selected Boeing and Lockheed Martin on 2020-03-03 to develop jam-resistant communications payloads under the Protected Tactical Satcom program.
Space Force research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) funding is projected to decrease from $10,300,000,000 in 2021 to $9,700,000,000 in 2025.
The Space Force was established on 2019-12-20 under the Department of the Air Force.
In its fiscal year 2021 budget request, the Air Force shifted $15,400,000,000 to the Space Force from accounts that were previously in Air Force appropriations.
Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett submitted a report to congressional committees projecting the U.S. Space Force budget to grow by $2,600,000,000 over the next five years.
Space Force operations and maintenance funding is projected to grow from $2,600,000,000 in 2021 to $3,200,000,000 in 2025.
Spending on classified Space Force programs is projected to grow from $78,000,000 in 2021 to $1,500,000,000 in 2025.
Congress in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act directed the Air Force to provide an estimate of the cost to stand up the Space Force and fund its key programs over the next five years.
Space Force personnel costs are projected to increase from $800,000,000 in 2021 to $1,100,000,000 in 2025.
Space Force procurement spending is projected to increase from $2,400,000,000 in 2021 to $4,700,000,000 by 2025.
The projected $2,600,000,000 represents additional costs for the Space Force beyond the $15,400,000,000 transferred from Air Force accounts.
The Trump administration transferred money from existing Air Force space programs to fund the Space Force 2021 request rather than adding $15,400,000,000 in new Pentagon funds.
The 2020 National Defense Authorization Act requires the Space Development Agency to move under the Space Force no later than 2022.
The $15,400,000,000 request is the first-ever separate budget requested for the recently established United States Space Force.
Populating the Space Force will require the voluntary transfer of up to 16,000 Air Force personnel who worked under Air Force Space Command prior to the redesignation.
Maj. Gen. John Pletcher rolled out the Space Force 2021 funding request at a 2020-02-10 briefing at the Pentagon.
The $15,400,000,000 Space Force request provides $900,000,000 more than what Congress appropriated the previous year for Air Force space operations and investments.