US Space Force budget nearly doubles

Editor's note: In a previous post, it was suggested that repudiating debt means war, that the Pentagon is using debt forgiveness as a recruiting tool, that central banks will keep creating electronic fiat, that US Space Force will be given elite Starship Troopers-style uniforms to surveil everyone from space, that the current military will be discarded, assets stripped, and that an assassination will be required to start the next war for the Praetorians, leading to a technocratic future. US Space Force recent budget requests (around $40 billion for FY2026 and a proposed jump to roughly $71 billion for FY2027) emphasize "resilient constellations, improved missile warning/tracking, space-control capabilities, and expanding the space force." A 38-year-old U.S. Cold War spy satellite (USA 32) unexpectedly broke apart in low Earth orbit on September 13, 2026, for reasons that remain unknown. A speculative take could be: the decades-old, already-defunct USA 32 satellite was deliberately fragmented ("fake in space") so the U.S. Space Force could point to a concrete threat in orbit and reinforce the narrative that the service exists precisely to protect American space assets. See our first post on satellites back in 2017: Intelsat - Ku Band - Privatizing Through Private Networks.
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The Final Frontier Goes to War: The Militarisation of Space

By Aleena Im | September 30, 2026

Space is becoming an increasingly contested domain as major powers expand military capabilities, satellite infrastructure, and counterspace systems, while the U.S. Golden Dome initiative reshapes strategic stability and raises new questions about the future of space governance.

On 14th September 2026, US Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink confirmed that the US has "on-orbit" weapons capable of safeguarding the US against hostile actions. It is most likely a part of the implementation of the 2025 US National Security Strategy (NSS), which says,

"the United States must at the same time invest in research to preserve and advance our advantage in cutting-edge military and dual-use technology, with emphasis on the domains where U.S. advantages are strongest. These include undersea, space, and nuclear, as well as others that will decide the future of military power, such as AI, quantum computing, and autonomous systems, plus the energy necessary to fuel these domains."

In December 2025, the White House issued an executive order on "Ensuring American Space Superiority" to ensure U.S. space superiority, security, lunar development, and the ability to detect, characterise and counter threats to U.S. space interests – especially threats from Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO).

Space is the next critical frontier which will shape world order and global security

In recent years, outer space has undergone a remarkable transformation from being a domain of scientific discoveries to an arena of geopolitical competition. According to NATO, space is important for both the military and civilians. In 2019, NATO officially recognised space as an operational domain and adopted an Overarching Space Policy. NATO has taken various initiatives under this policy, such as the NATO Space Operations Centre (NSpOC), NATO Commercial Space Strategy, and SPACENET.

NATO has declared that space is critical to deterrence and defence. Major powers are very keen on the development of space technologies in defence and deterrence. The US established the United States Space Force in 2019 to protect the US and its allies' interests in space and ensure their freedom to conduct operations there. However, when Russia in 2021 tested an anti-satellite (ASAT) missile, which destroyed its old Cosmos 1408 satellite, the US and allies criticised this test by saying it was ‘reckless’, as the debris could remain in space for years. This is extremely hypocritical of the US considering their own activities and aims for space – but shows how in the near future, strategic competition will not be bound only to the Earth, but it will extend to space, and space will also be exploited.

Golden Dome: Missile Defence or a New Strategic Equation

Golden Dome is a multi-layered defence shield project for safeguarding America from aerial threats. According to the National Defence Magazine, the project will be completed by the mid-2028. It includes space-based interceptors designed to detect and destroy missiles during flight. As per the CSIS report, space-based interceptors would effectively constitute a form of space-control weapon. If interceptors are placed in orbit, space itself becomes part of the missile-defence battlefield, potentially changing the balance between offensive missiles and defensive systems. China and Russia have therefore argued that the system could affect strategic stability, while the United States presents it primarily as a means of protecting the homeland from increasingly advanced missile threats.

Importance of Space in the Military

"Space has become the ultimate high ground for warfare" — (Elon Musk)

Military satellites are often known as "silent sentinels" used for defence and security purposes. Below are the types of military satellites with their specifications:

GPS & Navigation

Navigation satellites provide positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) signals for precise targeting. In this regard, the US has the Navstar GPS constellation operated by USSF, Russia have GLONASS, China have Beidou, and the EU have Galileo. The powerful Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM) are GPS-aided precision-guided weapons that use satellite-provided positioning data for accurate hits.

Communication Satellites

Communication satellites prove beneficial for command and control, especially in remote areas. They support unmanned drones, which depend on satellite links for remote operation. The US have Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) and Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) systems, which provide encrypted links that connect commanders with other troops.

Reconnaissance Satellites

Reconnaissance satellites are also known as spy satellites because they can gather high-resolution images of the battlefield. For example, SAR can see through clouds and even in darkness using infrared sensing. The US has the KH-11 series, and China has the Yaogan constellation, which has a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensor.

Signals Intelligence Satellites

SIGINT and ELINT satellites intercept electronic emissions, which include radar signals and military communications across vast areas. Orion and Trumpet series are allegedly US SIGINT and ELINT satellites, respectively, while Russia have Liana systems, which are SIGINT satellites but can carry functions similar to an ELINT satellite.

To date, the US have not elaborated on the weapon types, their capabilities, and when they were put into orbit.

Key Players in Space Militarisation

United States

The US has been the architect of space infrastructure. In 2019, the US created USSF, which formalised space as a military domain. The US have several military satellites which help in defence and deterrence. It's spending on counterspace defence and attack capabilities is to deter competitors as well as maintain freedom of action in space.

China

China has the Beidou navigation system, through which China has conducted satellite tests and developed ASAT systems. China is developing both soft and hard kill technologies to counter the US on each level. For this, it has developed TPG1000C, a 5-ton high-power microwave system which is capable of disrupting satellite electronics.

Please go to New Eastern Outlook to continue reading.
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More:

Sieg Heil! "Indentured military servitude." "Fascinating, Captain." ~ Spock

Related:

Space Development Agency to Launch 21 More Data Transport Satellites Next Week

Intelsat - Ku Band - Privatizing Through Private Networks

If you criticize US Space Force policy, or anything else your government is doing you apparently get placed on a list (mostly related to the UK for now):

The government is keeping a list of people who question their policies