-
- News
- Books
Featured Books
- smt007 Magazine
Latest Issues
Current IssueIntelligent Test and Inspection
Are you ready to explore the cutting-edge advancements shaping the electronics manufacturing industry? The May 2025 issue of SMT007 Magazine is packed with insights, innovations, and expert perspectives that you won’t want to miss.
Do You Have X-ray Vision?
Has X-ray’s time finally come in electronics manufacturing? Join us in this issue of SMT007 Magazine, where we answer this question and others to bring more efficiency to your bottom line.
IPC APEX EXPO 2025: A Preview
It’s that time again. If you’re going to Anaheim for IPC APEX EXPO 2025, we’ll see you there. In the meantime, consider this issue of SMT007 Magazine to be your golden ticket to planning the show.
- Articles
- Columns
Search Console
- Links
- Media kit
||| MENU - smt007 Magazine
Department of the Air Force Outlines Fiscal 2026 Budget Priorities to Congressional Panel
May 7, 2025 | United States Space ForceEstimated reading time: 3 minutes
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.
Suggested Items
See TopLine’s Next Gen Braided Solder Column Technology at SPACE TECH EXPO 2025
05/28/2025 | TopLineAerospace and Defense applications in demanding environments have a solution now in TopLine’s Braided Solder Columns, which can withstand the rigors of deep space cold and cryogenic environments.
Honda to Co-develop Refueling Port Connecting System for On-orbit Satellite Refueling with Astroscale
05/30/2025 | JCN NewswireHonda R&D Co., Ltd., a research and development subsidiary of Honda Motor Co., Ltd., will co-develop a refueling port connecting system designed for on-orbit refueling of satellites, with Astroscale Japan Inc., a subsidiary of Astroscale Holdings Inc.
Rocket Lab Enters Payload Market with Agreement to Acquire Geost
05/28/2025 | BUSINESS WIRERocket Lab Corporation, a global leader in launch services and space systems, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire the parent holding company of Geost, LLC (Geost).
Airbus, CNES and VAST Reaffirm Commitment to Strengthening EO Capabilities in Vietnam
05/27/2025 | AirbusAirbus Defence and Space, the French Space Agency (CNES), and the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology (VAST) have signed a Declaration of Intent (DoI) to strengthen their longstanding cooperation in the field of Earth observation, building on the success of the VNREDSat-1 space programme.
ICEFlight to Accelerate Maturation of Cryogenic Technologies for Hydrogen-Powered Flight
05/27/2025 | GKN AerospaceGKN Aerospace is one of the project partners in ICEFlight (Innovative Cryogenic Electric Flight), a project aiming to contribute to the development of hydrogen-powered flight.