Air Force, Space Force seek $16B extra for FY26 ‘unfunded priorities’
The services’ unfunded requests, obtained by Breaking Defense, reflect sharp increases compared to last year.
Space Force
Industry lobbies to protect Commerce space office at risk of cuts
The Trump administration’s budget would dramatically shrink the Office of Space Commerce and cancel an effort to transition responsibilities for keeping tabs on civil satellites from the Pentagon to the Commerce Department.
Chinese sats appear to be attempting first-ever on-orbit refueling, sat tracking firms say
“While this type of close approach activity does not automatically signify a military mission, it obviously could provide a co-orbital counterspace capability,” expert Victoria Samson told Breaking Defense.
Space Force is contracting with SpaceX for new, secretive MILNET SATCOM network
The MILNET contract with SpaceX is being paid for by the Space Force but managed by the National Reconnaissance Office, sources said.
Commercial ISR satellite operators petition Congress to reverse NRO cuts
The June 16 letter asserts that the cuts will undercut the Pentagon’s Golden Dome plan to create an air and missile defense shield over the US homeland.
Senate Republicans ‘very close’ to deal to protect key DoD spectrum in reconciliation language
Democrat Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington, where Boeing is headquartered, continues to raise concerns about potential interference with civil and military aviation.
House appropriators call for new Space Force acquisition pilot
A key problem identified by the HAC is the fact that the military services do not allow program officers responsible for acquisition oversight to remain in their posts long enough to gain the necessary expertise.
First Next-Gen OPIR missile warning launch pushed to 2026
Program officials overseeing the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) effort told GAO investigators that the delay was caused not only by developmental problems, but also the Space Force’s launch backlog.
‘Not survivable’: Hegseth says DoD reviewing E-7 Wedgetail program amid move to space
Pentagon budget request documents obtained by Breaking Defense show continued R&D investment, but procurement dollars appear to dry up.
Kymeta’s new antenna promises ‘seamless’ satellite network ‘roaming’
“The ubiquitous user terminal that could interoperate across frequency bands and orbits was a key part of [the Space Force’s SATCOM Vision], and to date, no one’s been able to deliver it,” said Ryan Stevenson, Kymeta’s chi…