{"id":30578,"date":"2018-09-18T20:54:04","date_gmt":"2018-09-18T20:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/09\/18\/new-space-force-price-tag-fuels-skepticism-on-capitol-hill\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:30:49","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:30:49","slug":"new-space-force-price-tag-fuels-skepticism-on-capitol-hill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/congress\/2018\/09\/18\/new-space-force-price-tag-fuels-skepticism-on-capitol-hill\/","title":{"rendered":"New Space Force price tag fuels Capitol Hill skeptics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Colorado Republican Rep. Mike Coffman had already decided to lead opposition in the U.S. House to President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cSpace Force\u201d proposal.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But a new, widely leaked Air Force estimate<\/a> that creating a space force as a new military service would cost $13 billion over the first five years only stiffened Coffman\u2019s resolve. Coffman, who chairs the House Armed Services Committee\u2019s Military Personnel Subcommittee and sits on its Strategic Forces Subcommittee, was sure other lawmakers agree with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA really bad idea is a \u2018Department of Space,\u2019\u201d Coffman said in an interview Tuesday, adding, \u201cI feel confident we can block this. The president will not have the votes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click here for more from the Air Force Association conference 2018!<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Creating a \u201cseparate but equal\u201d Space Force as Trump has proposed<\/a> will require congressional action. The administration is expected early next year to submit proposed legislation, which for now let the Air Force\u2019s estimate take center stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To Coffman, whose district includes Buckley Air Force Base and the 460th Space Wing, the Air Force has not focused enough on space, while China and Russia work to threaten U.S. military\u2019s space-based assets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s vital that the U.S. has assured access to space and that its assets be defensible, but he said he favors the approach in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act, which establishes a new combatant command for space. He\u2019s not convinced a new service would deliver more capability for the price.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think we have made some progress reducing bureaucracy in the Pentagon,\u201d Coffman said of the HASC’s recent work. \u201cI just can\u2019t imagine going in the other direction for no real value.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Susanna Blume, an analyst with the Center for a New American Security, said the cost estimate raises concerns about impacts for the Pentagon, but with so much undecided about what a Space Force will do, it\u2019s hard to speculate who the winners and losers would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t create a large chunk of new bureaucracy for free. And given that there is no new growth in the defense budget on the horizon, yes, things will have to be cut to pay for it,\u201d Blume said. \u201cI think the Air Force is likely to bear the brunt of it, as that\u2019s where the preponderance of the space mission resides now.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clouding things further, the overall price tag may not be realistic, according to Todd Harrison, a space expert with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis estimate is way too high. It\u2019s as if the Air Force is trying to sabotage the idea by making it seem much broader and more expensive than it really would be,\u201d Harrison said, who added that part of the $13 billion is actually earmarked for U.S. Space Command.<\/p>\n\n\n\t