CBO: Proposed Space National Guard could add $100 million in annual operating and support costs

In a new report on the cost to standup a Space National Guard, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the National Guard's proposal for creating a Space Force reserve component would add about $100 million in annual operating and support costs.

The report, released June 2, also projects a onetime cost of about $20 million to construct new facilities. It comes as lawmakers and state adjutants general push for the Defense Department to act now to create a Space National Guard, arguing that the organization would be lean, agile and reliant on existing resources. The department has instead said it wants to take a more measured approach to determining what a space reserve component would look like, claiming it is evaluating non-traditional alternatives.

CBO considered the cost of two possible Space National Guard scenarios. The first would transfer the current space-related cadre that exists within the Air and Army National Guard units into a new guard. The second option they evaluated was a larger force of about 4,900 to 5,800 personnel. CBO estimates the larger guard would add between $385 million and $490 million in annual operating and support costs and $400 million to $900 million in onetime standup costs.

For the smaller option, which is similar to the National Guard Bureau's proposal, CBO's cost estimate is largely linked to additional personnel it projects the organization would need -- a total of about 260 to perform national and state-level duties. The $20 million in onetime costs would cover the construction of a new national headquarters.

CBO intended the larger option to reflect a Space National Guard that was "proportional to the Air National Guard's size relative to the Air Force," so about 32% of the size of the active duty Space Force. Again, the majority of the cost would come from the additional 3,400 to 4,300 personnel CBO expects the larger guard to require. The report attributes the onetime costs to new facilities constructions and equipment for new units.