FY2020 National Security Space Budget Request: An Overview

FY2020 National Security Space Budget Request: An Overview

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June 7, 2019
FY2020 National Security Space Budget Request: An Overview
Congress may choose to approve, reject, or modify the
By Military Service
FY2020 President’s budget request for National Security
Broken down by military service, the vast majority (91%)
Space (NSS), which includes $14.1 billion for space
of the budget request is allocated to the Air Force. See
launches, satellites, and other activities. The request also
Figure 1.
includes funding to begin the process of establishing a U.S.
Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces, a
Figure 1. FY2020 National Security Space Budget
separate branch within the U.S. Air Force.
Request, by Military Service
(in millions of dol ars of budget authority)
Background
NSS is a Major Force Program (MFP) of the Department of
Defense (DOD). An MFP is an aggregation of resources
necessary to achieve DOD objectives or plans. Of the dozen
MFPs, six are combat force programs and six are support
programs. The MFP for National Security Space, MFP-12,
is the newest. Congress directed its establishment in the
FY2016 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 114-92).
MFP-12, a support program, includes funding for some
classified programs. It generally excludes funding for
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and
National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) programs.

Source: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptrol er)
Budget Request
Notes: Numbers may not sum due to rounding.
According to DOD, the $14.1 billion requested for NSS in
FY2020 is $1.76 billion (14%) more than the FY2019-
Selected Acquisition Programs
enacted amount of $12.3 billion. By comparison, the
Approximately 84% of the budget request is for acquiring
department’s overall FY2020 budget request is 4.9% more
space-based systems, including space launch, satellites, and
than the FY2019-enacted amount. The FY2020 budget
support activities. Major space-related acquisition programs
request for NSS includes $72.4 million in a new
include the following:
appropriation, “Operation and Maintenance, Space Force,”
to establish a U.S. Space Force headquarters. The figure
 National Security Space Launch (NSSL). The
amounts to less than 1% of the total MFP budget request.
budget requests $1.7 billion, including $1.2 billion
See Figure 1.
in procurement and $432 million in RDT&E, for
four launches in the NSSL program. Formerly
By Appropriation Title
known as the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle
Broken down by appropriation title, more than half (60%)
(EELV) program, NSSL provides launch services
of the budget request is for research, development, test, and
for medium- and heavy-lift class satellites for the
evaluation (RDT&E). See Table 1.
Air Force and other government agencies.
Table 1. FY2020 National Security Space Budget
 Global Positioning System III (GPS). The
Request, by Appropriation Title
budget requests $1.8 billion, including $1.3 billion
(in millions of dol ars of budget authority)
in RDT&E and $477 million in procurement, for
one GPS III satellite and related projects. The
FY2019
FY2020
$
%
technology provides worldwide positioning,
Title
Enacted
Request
Change
Change
navigation, and timing (PNT) information to
military and civilian users. Funding would support
RDT&E
$6,676
$8,409
$1,733
26%
the GPS III Follow-on satellite, GPS Next
Proc.
$2,804
$2,646
-$158
-6%
Generation Operational Control System (OCX),
and Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE), all of
O&M
$2,853
$3,041
$188
7%
which are intended in part to provide a more
Total
$12,332
$14,096
$1,763
14%
powerful jam-resistant signal and information to
military personnel in contested environments.
Source: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptrol er).
Notes: RDT&E is research, development, test, and evaluation; Proc.
 Space Based Overhead Persistent Infrared
is procurement, O&M is operation and maintenance. Numbers may
Systems (OPIR). The budget requests $1.6
not sum due to rounding.
billion, including $1.4 billion in RDT&E and $234
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FY2020 National Security Space Budget Request: An Overview
million in procurement for the next generation
(JNWC), and other organizations. The request also includes
OPIR program, which is a follow-on system to the
$8.2 million in new funding to support 30 personnel at the
Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) designed to
command’s headquarters.
provide early warning of a strategic missile attack
on the United States and to support missile defense
Space Development Agency
activities. Funding would support development of
The budget request includes $149.8 million in new funding
next-generation satellites.
for the Space Development Agency, which was established
in March 2019 to accelerate the process for acquiring space
 Satellite Communications Projects (SATCOM).
systems in part by consolidating operations. The funding
The budget requests $1.1 billion, including $1
would support 50 personnel, of which 30 would be new
billion in RDT&E and $99 million in procurement,
civilian positions and 20 would be military personnel
for SATCOM projects designed to provide secure
transferring from existing positions.
communications. Funding would support three
types of systems: (1) Advanced Extremely High
Competing Cost Estimates
Frequency (AEHF) system and the Evolved
A number of government and nongovernment organizations
Strategic SATCOM (ESS); (2) Enhanced Polar
have published cost estimates related to the establishment
System-Recapitalization (EPS-R), Protected
of a Space Force. The estimates vary based in part on
Tactical Enterprise Service (PTES), and Protected
assumptions about how many personnel would be
Tactical SATCOM (PTS); and (3) Wideband
transferred from existing organizations and how many
Global SATCOM (WGS), Commercial SATCOM,
positions would be created for each of the new space
and Multi-User Objective System (MUOS).
organizations. For example, CBO recently estimated that
DOD’s plan to establish the Space Force, U.S. Space
Space Enterprise Reorganization
Command, and Space Development Agency “could
DOD has described reforming the organization of the
increase annual costs by $1 billion to $2 billion and require
military space enterprise as “a fundamental step in
onetime startup costs of $2 billion to $5 billion.”
transforming our approach to space from a combat support
function to a warfighting domain.” To that end, the request
Limitations to MFP-12 Budget Request
included funding to establish a Space Force—and to
While DOD Directive 5100.96 states the MFP for space is
support the newly created U.S. Space Command and Space
to include personnel funding, the FY2020 budget request
Development Agency. It described the need for creating a
for MFP-12 does not include military personnel
Space Force as follows: “Establishing a Space Force is a
(MILPERS) appropriations. DOD has acknowledged that
strategic priority to facilitate the DoD’s preparation for the
MFP-12 does not include all space-related funding: “Space
changing character of warfare in the twenty-first century.”
budget tracking, including Major Force Program 12 for
Others, however, including some Members of Congress,
space, is complicated due to the various classifications and
counter that a Space Force remains an undeveloped concept
categories. Additionally, ground and user equipment is
and that it is unclear whether it will help or hinder efforts to
essential for functioning space capabilities, but is not
better organize space programs. The budget request
always captured in space budget discussions. To begin to
included the following funding amounts associated with the
address this issue the Department has a cross-functional
Space Force, U.S. Space Command, and Space
team working to establish clear standard practices for how
Development Agency:
to better track and count space budgets at all classification
levels. Additionally, the Department is in interagency
Space Force
discussions about how to coordinate classified space
The budget request for NSS includes $72.4 million in
budgets more effectively.”
operations and maintenance (O&M) funding to establish a
U.S. Space Force headquarters with 160 personnel, mostly
Potential Questions for Congress
civilians. Many of the personnel would transfer from
 What are the roles and missions of Space Force and how
existing positions in DOD. The personnel figure includes
do they differ from U.S. Space Command and the Space
82 civilian transfers, 40 civilian new hires, and 38 military
Development Agency?
transfers. It excludes 40 additional contractors and support
personnel. DOD estimates that headquarters costs would
 How much additional funding and how many new
increase to $500 million in FY2024.
personnel would be needed to support the Space Force,
U.S. Space Command, and Space Development Agency
U.S. Space Command
over the next five years?
The budget request includes $83.8 million to support a total
 What is the status of the department’s efforts to better
of 617 personnel at U.S. Space Command, which was
track and count space funding?
established in December 2018 as a unified combatant
command in part to emphasize the role of space as a
warfighting domain. The figure includes $75.6 million in
Stephen M. McCall, Analyst in Military Space, Missile
funding transferred from existing accounts to support 587
Defense, and Defense Innovation
personnel transferring to the command from U.S. Strategic
Brendan W. McGarry, Analyst in US Defense Budget
Command organizations, including the National Space
Defense Center (NSDC), Joint Force Space Component
IF11244
Command (JFSCC), Joint Navigation Warfare Center
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FY2020 National Security Space Budget Request: An Overview

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