U.S. Space Command submitted to Congress a list of unfunded priorities for fiscal year 2026 totaling $2.5 billion, according to a cover letter obtained by Inside Defense.
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
Wednesday, July 9, 2025
U.S. Space Command submitted to Congress a list of unfunded priorities for fiscal year 2026 totaling $2.5 billion, according to a cover letter obtained by Inside Defense.
U.S. Strategic Command submitted to Congress a fiscal year 2026 unfunded priorities list totaling $322 million with about a third of the dollars marked for a classified program.
More than half of the $6 billion in the Space Force's unfunded priorities list comes from a need for research and development on the MILNET satellite communications effort, according to the document obtained by Inside Defense.
The Space Development Agency named Gurpartap "GP" Sandhoo as deputy director today, following the departure of Ryan Frigm from the role.
Space Systems Command awarded Boeing $2.8 billion for the first two Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications space vehicles, which will enable modernized nuclear command, control and communications capabilities.
The Space Force is working with SpaceX on a constellation of communications satellites in low Earth orbit to add resilience and alternate options for the joint force to stay connected during wartime, according to a service official.
The Air Force is requesting just a third of what it spent last year on research and development for the E-7A Wedgetail and may cancel future purchases while the House Appropriations Committee in its fiscal year 2026 budget would order the service to commit to the platform moving forward.
The Defense Department is hoping the pending congressional reconciliation package will inject $2.1 billion extra to significantly ramp up procurement efforts for the B-21 Raider nuclear bomber, according to budget request documents obtained by Inside Defense.
A not-yet-approved budget reconciliation bill accounts for an overwhelming majority of planned research and development spending for the Air Force's Collaborative Combat Aircraft program in fiscal year 2026, according to budget request documents obtained by Inside Defense.
The Defense Department is relying on the pending reconciliation funding package to increase fiscal year 2026 Space Force research and development above FY-25 levels, including $6.44 billion for a new line in a "Long Range Kill Chains" program.
The Defense Department is seeking less procurement funding for the Space Force in fiscal year 2026 compared to the enacted FY-25 budget, even when accounting for money in the yet-to-be-passed reconciliation funding package, according to budget documents obtained by Inside Defense.
Reps. Jeff Crank (R-CO) and Dale Strong (R-AL) will co-chair a newly formed Golden Dome caucus, Crank announced today.
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said today that modifying a Qatari jet to serve as Air Force One would likely cost "less than $400 million," despite some experts positing it could cost upwards of $1 billion.
The Space Force awarded BAE Systems a $1.2 billion contract for the second slate of Resilient Missile Warning and Tracking satellites, Space Systems Command announced today.
The Space Force will launch the next satellite in its GPS III mission on Friday under a "rapid-response" timeline, going from storage to launch in just three months.
Multiple Air Force analyses pointed to Redstone Arsenal, AL as the preferred location to meet U.S. Space Command needs, GAO confirmed in a report released today, but the Biden administration still decided to maintain the current location in Colorado Springs, CO.
Three vendors for the Space Force's Resilient GPS effort have successfully completed design concept reviews, a service spokeswoman told Inside Defense, while one contractor was removed from the program.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has ordered the Air Force to plan modifications to turn a Qatari-owned jumbo jet into the next Air Force One aircraft, service Secretary Troy Meink disclosed today.
Recently sworn-in Air Force Secretary Troy Meink will receive his first briefing Friday on the beleaguered LGM-35A Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program, which is in the midst of a major restructuring.
The Defense Department and National Nuclear Security Administration completed the first variant of its new nuclear bomb, according to an announcement today, almost a year ahead of schedule.