Space Force’s proposed budget increase would largely go to existing programs, official says
The majority of the increased funding the Pentagon is requesting for the U.S. Space Force for fiscal year 2027 would be directed “into existing programs,” according to Melissa Blakesly, an Air Force official working on the budget process.
“One of the unique challenges that the Space Force has is just their budget mix,” Blakesly, the Air Force’s associate deputy assistant secretary for Congressional Budget and Appropriations Liaison, said today at an event hosted by the Mitchell Institute. “You don’t normally see a service that their request for research, development, test and evaluation [RDT&E] funds is twice that of procurement — and that’s what we have in this FY27 budget request.”
The Pentagon has requested $71.1 billion for the Space Force for fiscal 2027, up from the $31.6 billion the service received in fiscal 2026. The request includes “about $40 billion for RDT&E and $19 billion for procurement,” Blakesly said.
Brig. Gen. Nikki Frankino, the Space Force’s legislative liaison, said at the same event that most of the funding increase will be directed to “existing contract vehicles.”
Blakesley noted “94% of our budget is going into existing programs.”
Additionally, Blakesly said, the Space Force is briefing congressional staffers on “very detailed execution plans” for each program to demonstrate it can effectively spend the requested funds.
If Congress does not pass the defense budget before the current fiscal year ends and the Space Force is held to its fiscal 2026 funding levels, “that sort of spend ratio, or rate, is going to be curtailed,” she added.
