Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman called on the young military branch to innovate during the Air and Space Association’s Warfare Symposium on Monday in Aurora. While he acknowledged that the Space Force needs more money and more people, guardians in the field will have to innovate, since additional resources are not on the immediate horizon.
“I need guardians in the field to find a way. This is a partnership,” he said. “The headquarters will drive everything it can from the top down, but I need you to meet us from the bottom up.”
Air Force Academy's Muslim cadets denied accommodation during Ramadan: Allegation
Air Force Academy denies Muslim cadets accommodations during Ramadan, requiring them to participate in physical training during the holy fast.
For example, the Space Force needs more modern training simulators, Saltzman said, but while the leadership advocates for those investments, guardians need to make sure the necessary training is still getting done.
The Space Force’s budget grew from $15.3 billion in 2021 to $28.9 billion in 2024, according to the Center for Space Policy and Strategy. The budget for 2025 was expected to be largely flat around $29.6 billion.
The Department of Defense is also planning to cut the civilian workforce between 5% to 8%, it announced in mid-February. In the Space Force those roles include work in IT, administration and contracting.
DEI purge ends the Air Force's impactful Women's Initiative Team
Female Air Force officers fought for changes to pilot height rules and miscarriage care through a Women's Initiative Team disbanded under President Donald Trump's executive order ending Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Colorado Springs is home to a large portion of the Space Force’s 14,000 guardians and civilians. Some of those missions include maintaining the GPS satellites and keeping track of space activity, including potential threats. U.S. officials are particularly concerned about Russia putting a nuclear weapon in orbit.
The threats in space are driving change in the Space Force, with numerous initiatives already underway, Saltzman said.
The Space Force is integrating into the combatant commands that lead actions around the world. The young military branch has a presence in six commands so far, including Central Command, which oversees action in the Middle East, northeast Africa and central Asia.
The military branch is also proposing the new Space Force Futures Command, an effort that’s been paused while the new civilian leaders within President Donald Trump’s administration take office.
The new command will “envision, validate and describe in detail the force we need to win wars and maintain our space advantage into the future,” Saltzman said.
National advocates against DEI in the military got started in Colorado Springs
A national nonprofit, known as STARRS, got its start in Colorado Springs and a former leader of the group is set to become the next undersecretary of the Air Force.
While some plans are paused, the U.S. stepped up its satellite launches last year, a goal Saltzman outlined two years ago at the same symposium emphasizing that putting many satellites on orbit in charge of many different tasks would help make an attack in space “escalatory and self-defeating.”
The U.S. increased the numbers of military and intelligence satellites launched from less than 250 in 2023 to close to 350 in 2024, according to the American Enterprise Institute.
In the coming months, Saltzman encouraged guardians to communicate needs and changes that will further the mission of space superiority.
“Things are probably going to get a lot harder before they get easier,” Saltzman said.
© 2025 The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
