Lt. Gen. Douglas Schiess, the White House nominee to lead the US Space Force, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday that China’s military advancements justify the service’s $71 billion budget request in a brief and uncontentious confirmation hearing.
“I would say that the $71.1 billion that the president has asked for is exactly what we need,” Schiess said. He cited the threat from China and Russia and the capabilities required by the joint forces as driving factors. Schiess currently serves as deputy chief of space operations for operations at the Pentagon and would replace Gen. Chance Saltzman, who announced his retirement this week.
The Space Force’s budget request faces uncertainty after House leaders signaled they would not fully comply with the administration’s proposal to fund much of it through budget reconciliation. The reconciliation process would have supported ambitious programs including the Space Data Network and the Golden Dome missile defense system.
Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker told Schiess the service is underfunded but would be adequately resourced if Congress passes the full budget request. Only six senators asked questions during the roughly 40-minute hearing, which Sen. Angus King noted “bodes well” for confirmation.
In written testimony, Schiess said his first year priorities include improving combat readiness, prioritizing operational testing, building up launch infrastructure, and expanding facilities. He described balancing urgent readiness for contested space operations with long-term modernization as the service’s most significant challenge.
