Defense Primer: The United States Space Force

Defense Primer: The United States Space Force

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Updated March 15, 2023
Defense Primer: The United States Space Force
On December 20, 2019, the United States Space Force
support, civilian personnel management, IT support, and
(USSF) became the sixth branch of the Armed Forces. The
financial management.
Space Force was established within the Department of the
Air Force (DAF) with the enactment of the FY2020
Space Force Stand-Up
National Defense Authorization Act ([NDAA], P.L. 116-
The FY2020 NDAA redesignated Air Force Space
92). The Secretary of the Air Force is responsible for
Command (AFSPC), located at Peterson Air Force Base,
organizing, training, and equipping the Space Force and the
CO, as the U.S. Space Force with Title 10 authorities.
United States Air Force (USAF), two separate and distinct
Subsequently, an estimated 16,000 military and civilian
military uniformed services (see Figure 1). The current
personnel assigned to the former AFSPC were reassigned to
Chief of Space Operations (CSO) is General Chance
the Space Force. According to DOD, space-related Air
Saltzman, who serves as the principal uniformed advisor for
Force personnel are to transfer into the Space Force and
all space activities to the Secretary of the Air Force.
become Space Force Guardians in a deliberate manner.
DOD also plans to consolidate space missions from across
Figure 1. Space Force Within DOD and DAF
the Armed Forces into the Space Force as appropriate and
consistent with law.
Mission
The U.S. Space Force is responsible for organizing,
training, and equipping Space Guardians to conduct global
space operations that enhance the way joint and coalition
forces fight, while also offering decisionmakers military
options to achieve national objectives. Other
responsibilities include “developing military space
professionals, acquiring military space systems, maturing
the military doctrine for space power, and organizing space
forces to present to our Combatant Commands.” DOD has
said that the Space Force was formed to be lean, agile, and
mission-focused in order to remove the traditional layers of
bureaucracy. Some of the Space Force missions include
Space Superiority; Space Domain Awareness (military,
civil, and commercial); Offense and Defensive Space
Control; Command and Control of Space Forces & Satellite
Operations; Space Support Nuclear Command, Control,

Source: Comprehensive Plan on the Organizational Structure of
Communications; and Missile Warning/Defense
USSF (Department of the Air Force, report to congressional
Operations.
committees).
Space Force Organization
Overview
The Office of the Chief of Space Operations and the Space
Force Headquarters are located at the Pentagon. According
The FY2020 NDAA assigned the Space Force the
to the Space Force, “this staff will focus on establishing a
following duties: (1) protect the interests of the United
fully-functioning headquarters; preparing to execute the full
States in space; (2) deter aggression in, from, and to space;
scope of its organize, train, and equip responsibilities; and,
and (3) conduct space operations. The military space forces
in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force, developing a
provide freedom of operation in, from, and to the space
detailed plan to transfer forces into the U.S. Space Force.”
domain. This includes both combat and space-focused
To pursue its goal of being lean, agile, and mission-focused
combat support functions intended to enable the United
and to remove the traditional layers of bureaucracy, the
States to promptly conduct offensive and defensive space
Space Force created a command hierarchy (see Figure 2)
operations to protect U.S. and allied interests in all war-
that consists of three levels: Field Commands led by a
fighting domains.
three-star general officer; Deltas, by a Colonel; and
Squadrons, by field grade officers. The career tracks within
Except for functions unique to the space domain, in order to
the Space Force include space-specific operations,
reduce cost and avoid duplication, the Space Force initially
intelligence, engineering, acquisition, science, and
relied on the Air Force for approximately 75% of its
cyber/communications.
enabling functions; for example, logistics, base operating
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Defense Primer: The United States Space Force
Figure 2. Space Force Organizational Structure
weather 3-dimensional positioning, navigation, and
timing for military and civilian users.
 The Space Based Missile Warning Systems—
including Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared
and Resilient Missile Warning and Missile Tracking—
provide the initial warning of strategic missile attacks
against the U.S. homeland, as well as deployed and
allied forces.
 The Satellite Communications (SATCOM) Projects
provide SATCOM in three capability areas: strategic
provides Nuclear Command, Control, and
Communications (NC3); protected enables tactical
communications in contested environments; and
wideband/narrowband provides large amounts of

throughput (i.e., data transfer) in less contested
Source: Figure created by CRS using data from U.S. Space Force.
environments.

FY2024 Budget Request
Potential Issues for Congress
Space Force requested $30.1 billion in FY2024, up from its
FY2023 request of $24.5 billion. The FY2024 request
Space National Guard
included $19.2 billion for research, development, test, and
Some analysts and organizations, including the National
evaluation; $5.0 billion for operations and maintenance;
Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS), have
$4.7 billion for procurement; and $1.3 billion for military
argued that DOD should establish a Space National Guard
personnel (MILPERS). The FY2024 MILPERS request
(SNG). In support of this position, NGAUS has stated that
supports an end-strength of 9,400.
the lack of an SNG has “orphaned space professionals and
operational missions that exist in the Air National Guard,
DOD’s FY2024 budget included six major investment
disconnecting them from their parent service, the USSF,
areas—totaling $25.8 billion—for space-based systems, as
making their future unclear and undefined.” The Biden
shown in Table 1.
Administration has opposed the establishment of an SNG,
Table 1. FY2024 Space-Based Systems Request
arguing that it would create an additional layer of
bureaucracy, impede the Air Force’s oversight duties, and
Type
$ in billions
fail to provide meaningful gains in capability. Furthermore,
the Congressional Budget Office estimates that an SNG
Space Procurement (Space Force)
$4.7
would cost around $500 million annually.
System Development
$6.0
Space Acquisitions
Communications and Electronics
$0.4
Congress has made repeated efforts to consolidate space
acquisition authorities with the Assistant Secretary of the
Advanced Component Development
$4.7
Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, who
Support
$2.8
serves as the Service Acquisition Executive for Space
Systems and Programs (see, for example, Section 957 of the
Operational System Development
$7.2
FY2020 NDAA, Section 1601 of the FY2021 NDAA [P.L.
Total
$25.8
116-283], and Sections 1602 and 1603 of the FY2022
NDAA [P.L. 117-81]). Nonetheless, the Senate report
Source: Program Acquisition Cost By Weapon System (Department of
accompanying the Senate version of the FY2023 NDAA
Defense Fiscal Year 2024 Budget Request).
(S.Rept. 117-130) notes that “when senior acquisition
leadership presents space acquisition efforts to the
Major Space Acquisition Programs
congressional defense committees, they refer to decision
The FY2024 budget request for space-based systems
making process as a ‘unity of effort’” between various
included funding for the development and procurement of
space-related organizations. The report directs the Defense
space-based spacecraft, launch vehicles, space command
Business Board and the Defense Innovation Board to
and control systems, and terrestrial satellite terminals and
review this unity of effort and make recommendations for
equipment. The major acquisition programs include the
the structure of space acquisitions. Congress may consider
following:
the findings of this review.
 The National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program
This report was originally authored by Stephen M. McCall,
provides launch services for the Space Force, Air Force,
former Analyst in Military Space, Missile Defense, and
Navy, the National Reconnaissance Office, Space
Development Agency, and many other government
Defense Innovation.
agencies. This program provides assured access to space
Kelley M. Sayler, Coordinator, Analyst in Advanced
for the nation.

Technology and Global Security
The Global Positioning System Enterprise provides
24-hour-a-day, worldwide coverage, including all-
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Defense Primer: The United States Space Force

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan shared staff to
congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and under the direction of Congress.
Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other than public understanding of information that has
been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the
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