A pair of senators from opposite parties want the Pentagon to treat a future space fight with China as a training problem, not just a hardware problem.
Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Katie Britt (R-Ala.) introduced the Space Superiority Readiness Act on Aug. 6. The measure directs the Defense Department to widen Space Force wargaming, modeling and simulation of peer conflicts in orbit and build training around the tactics and procedures needed for space control operations.
It also requires an unclassified report to Congress within 180 days on China’s commercial space capabilities and their potential military applications.
Cortez Masto filed the proposal as an amendment to the fiscal 2027 National Defense Authorization Act. The Senate Armed Services Committee has already approved its version of the NDAA, but the full chamber has not begun floor debate, and neither sponsor sits on the committee.
The bill lands as the Space Force shifts emphasis from operating satellites that support troops on Earth toward preparing guardians for combat in orbit itself.
Cortez Masto said guardians need the tools, training and resources to face any threat. Britt argued the legislation answers Beijing’s growing military space presence and that the United States must hold space control in any clash with the People’s Republic of China.
The push comes as China fields inspection satellites, ground-based lasers and co-orbital systems that could double as weapons, while expanding a commercial launch and satellite industrial base the Pentagon views as a future military asset. Lawmakers on both sides have grown louder about matching Beijing’s training tempo, and the bill is the latest attempt to force the issue through the NDAA process.
