Department of the Air Force Outlines Fiscal 2026 Budget Priorities to Congressional Panel

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The three most senior civilian and military officials from the Department of the Air Force told a congressional panel May 6 that “the strategic landscape has shifted dramatically” and that the Air Force and Space Force need the resources and creative thinking, along with modern capabilities, to meet emerging threats. 

That message, along with others, was delivered to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense by Acting Secretary of the Air Force Gary Ashworth, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin, and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman. 

The joint appearance before the subcommittee is an annual rite of passage for Department leaders to spell out priorities and answer questions as the lengthy budget writing process gets started. 

While there is currently no specific budget number presented for the Department or any federal agency, on May 2 the White House released a broad overview of what it wants for the new budget.  

As part of that document, it said the Department of Defense needs $1 trillion. Included were a set of priorities that includes continued development of the F-47 fighter, a “down payment” on the Golden Dome missile defense system, money to ensure “space dominance,” and spending to modernize nuclear deterrence. There were no specifics, however, for each service. 

As a result, members of the subcommittee could only ask general questions. 

“The Department of the Air Force is at an inflection point,” Ashworth told the subcommittee in his opening statement.  

“We are engaged in a fast-paced race for technological superiority against a well-resourced strategic opponent. However, we simultaneously face personnel and platform challenges affecting our immediate readiness. We must balance our requirement to generate readiness and project power today with the imperative to rebuild our military and develop capabilities so that we can continue deterring our adversaries tomorrow.” 

Allvin and Saltzman echoed Ashworth in their remarks. 

“The strategic landscape has shifted dramatically,” Allvin told the subcommittee in his opening statement. 

“We now operate in a world where the [People’s Republic of China] is not only rapidly modernizing its military but is doing so with a clear intent to coerce its neighbors and reshape the international order. In parallel, we are seeing unprecedented threats to our homeland, and a PRC nuclear ‘breakout’ that demands unmatched nuclear deterrence capabilities,” he said. 

Saltzman described a similar circumstance – and similar challenges – in space. 

“Space gives us an incredible strategic advantage, but any advantage can become a vulnerability when held at risk,” Saltzman told the subcommittee. “In the future, defending the homeland will demand that we first defend the satellites that make that defense possible. To be successful in this effort we must be able to control the space, protecting our capabilities in space while denying an adversary the ability to use space against us. That, in essence, is why we have a Space Force.”  

“Despite the dramatic rise in space threats and the increasing importance of space, over the last few budget cycles the Space Force has experienced shrinking resources. This disconnect between value and investment creates risk for our nation.” Saltzman said.  “It is the job of a military service to achieve superiority in its domain, and that’s what we do for space.  But if we want a Space Force that can secure our nation’s interests in, from, and to space, then we must resource it accordingly.” 

Unlike previous years when specific budget proposals were offered for each service and the discussion was based on detailed questions about program costs, trade-offs and choices, the conversation this year was far more general. 

For example, Ashworth was asked to name the Department’s three priorities. He named the Trump Administration’s focus – protecting the homeland and deterrence which Ashworth said for the Air Force meant continued development of the B-21 bomber, the Sentinel land-based nuclear modernization. The third priority was what the White House is calling Golden Dome, the ambitious nationwide missile defense shield.