WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force will function with $28.7 billion in appropriations for fiscal year 2025. This sum is $800 million less than the $29.5 billion requested, according to the full-year continuing resolution (CR) spending measure approved by Congress the previous week.
Details regarding the funding were disclosed by Republican legislators as part of “congressional intent” guidelines for the Department of Defense’s $892.5 billion allocation within the CR, which extends through September 30, 2025.
Congress prevented a government shutdown by enacting the full-year CR due to the absence of regular appropriations bills. These standard bills would have allowed for more strategic adjustments to funding across federal agencies.
Unlike typical CRs, which generally maintain prior-year funding levels with minimal modifications, the fiscal year 2025 resolution grants the Pentagon the latitude to reprogram up to $8 billion. It also permits the initiation of select new programs, offering some flexibility beyond the usual rigid limitations of stopgap funding mechanisms.
Satellite Program Adjustments
Among specific reallocations, the Space Force secured authorization to transfer $30 million from the Protected Tactical Satellite (PTS) program. This is to finance a new procurement of Resilient GPS (R-GPS) satellites. This fresh initiative aims to bolster the existing GPS constellation with smaller, more economical satellites.
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The PTS program, focused on developing next-generation anti-jamming communications satellites, experienced a funding reduction from $597 million to $420 million.
Ongoing Budget Strategy for the Future
Even as the Space Force manages its fiscal year 2025 budget under the CR, the service is involved in broader budget realignment efforts for fiscal year 2026. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has mandated an 8% internal reallocation of the DoD budget. This requires each branch to identify potential funding reductions and areas for reinvestment.
Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman affirmed on March 20 that the Space Force has submitted its proposed funding reallocations to the Pentagon. These proposals align with the current administration’s priorities.
“I prefer not to preempt the Secretary, but it’s accurate to say we assessed our lowest priority areas and presented those for potential reallocation. This allows the Secretary to reprioritize based on the current administration’s objectives,” Saltzman stated during a Defense One webcast interview.
Hegseth has underscored warfighting activities as the Pentagon’s highest priority. Saltzman indicated this directive aligns with the Space Force’s mission. “Ultimately, you will observe that our priorities, heavily focused on warfighting and emerging threats which are universally recognized as needing attention, are well-aligned with the new administration’s priorities,” Saltzman added. “Therefore, I anticipate the Space Force will be favorably positioned.”
Wider Defense Spending Reductions
These budgetary reconfigurations are occurring amidst larger Pentagon spending reviews. Hegseth announced on March 20 the termination of programs considered inefficient, totaling $580 million. These include software contracts for human resources management, grants for diversity initiatives, climate change research, social science, COVID-19 pandemic response, and external consulting services.