The Golden Dome missile defense undertaking is the biggest responsibility the U.S. Space Force has been dealt in its nearly six years of operation. While the expansive project — which some estimate could cost as much as half a trillion dollars — isn’t entirely under the purview of USSF, it is the agency with the most to contribute to this complex network of sensors, ground systems and interception capabilities.
Gen. Michael Guetlein, former vice chief of space operations and a Wash100 Award winner, was plucked from the service to lead Golden Dome and confirmed by Congress for the role last week. And $13.8 billion was allocated to Space Force for Golden Dome purposes in President Trump’s budget reconciliation package, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill, which was signed into law on July 4.
For more in-depth details on how Space Force is divvying up its technology spend, especially in regard to Golden Dome, you should register for Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Summit. This critical GovCon conference is happening this Thursday, July 31, and will feature an all-industry panel discussion on Golden Dome, as well as remarks from Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Heath Collins and Space Force’s acquisition chief, Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy. You don’t want to miss this comprehensive air and space defense conversation!
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A Bigger Budget Than Ever for Space Force
Space Force’s baseline budget for fiscal year 2026 was merely $26.4 billion, which was a downturn from recent years. However, combined with the budget reconciliation’s $13.8 billion in additional funds, things are looking much more robust for the space service branch.
Some critics view this as a temporary fix though to a more long-term problem of lacking defense resources.
“I have said for months that reconciliation defense spending does not replace the need for real growth in the military’s base budget,” a Republican senator said, according to Air and Space Forces Magazine.
Space Force’s Reduced Manpower
Still, for a year at least, USSF will seemingly be flushed with the cash it needs to begin making a dent in Golden Dome. Albeit, with a significantly reduced workforce — during 2025, leaders of the service project that the organization has suffered a 14 percent blow to its civilian workforce, Defense News reports. The move comes as the Department of Defense is looking to reduce its civilian payroll by eight percent; the first quarter of the year alone saw the Pentagon usher 21,000 resignations.
“We understand the desire to reduce the civilian workforce. It’s just having a little bit of an outsized impact on the Space Force,” said Chief of Space Operations and Wash100 recipient Gen. Chance Saltzman in May.
The acquisition team at USSF, led by Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, is being hit particularly hard by these cuts and they’re raising concern about dwindling expertise in this area.
“There is, I would say, trouble brewing. We’re worried about the numbers,” Purdy told the Senate.
Purdy will deliver a keynote address at Potomac Officers Club’s 2025 Air and Space Summit on Thursday, where he’ll reveal USSF’s key spending priorities. Don’t miss out, register for the year’s premier air and space GovCon conference today!
Beyond Golden Dome: More Focus Areas for Space Force
Obviously, Space Force’s budget is more than just going toward Golden Dome. A significant part of its reconciliation funds are directed toward “long-range kill chains,” as well as toward missile warning tech (which could also be utilized by Golden Dome), including the Next-Gen Overhead Persistent Infrared program.
What’s Next for Golden Dome?
Gen. Guetlein has been asked by the deputy secretary of defense to deliver an “objective architecture” that clearly lays out the arc and scope of Golden Dome.
“So, in 60 days, I’ll be able to talk in depth about, ‘Hey, this is our vision for what we want to get after for Golden Dome,’” Guetlein said, per MeriTalk.
Guetlein also said the endeavor will be more about integration of existing technologies, and pointing them right at this challenge, than it will be about making new ones wholesale.
“The technology exists today — it just hasn’t been applied to this problem or in this form,” he stated.
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