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Boosting US Space Capabilities: A Blueprint for the Next President to Stay Ahead of China
The race for space dominance is heating up, and the United States must step up its game to keep pace with China and Russia, according to a recent collection of papers released by the National Security Space Association (NSSA). The think tank is calling on the next president to prioritize boosting US capabilities in space and Congress to foot the bill.
The papers, which serve as a blueprint for the incoming administration, highlight the need for a comprehensive long-term strategy to protect American interests against Chinese aggression in space. Gregory Pejic, an NSSA board member and former deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, emphasized the importance of conducting a review of the country’s space posture and issuing a new National Security Space Strategy.
To achieve space dominance, the NSSA recommends a significant increase in the Space Force’s annual budget to $45-50 billion. This funding would support missile warning and tracking systems to counter threats from Russia and China, satellite defense technologies to defend against various types of attacks, and enhanced space domain awareness systems to track adversarial space assets.
The think tank also stressed the importance of closing budget gaps to ensure US space dominance. Mike Tierney, NSSA’s head of legislative affairs, highlighted the need to allocate adequate funding for the Space Force’s critical capabilities, including missile defense and satellite technologies.
As the space race intensifies, the NSSA’s recommendations underscore the importance of investing in US space capabilities to maintain a technological edge and protect national security interests. The next president and Congress will play a crucial role in determining the future of US space policy and ensuring America’s leadership in space.
