The US space advantage could shrink compared to other countries unless investment in space is increased, US deputy chief of space operations Michael Getlein said.
‘We're maxing out our budget today and we're seeing a flat budget in the Department of Defence. That needs to change ... We see a threat that is absolutely focused on narrowing the capability gap between us and (competitors - ed.). If we don't start increasing our investment in space, we're going to see that capability gap reverse,’ Goethlein told Defence News.
U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told the publication that the budget for the country's space forces will have to double or even triple over time to be able to fund the necessary projects. According to the publication, the space force's requested budget is slated to drop to $30 billion in fiscal year 2025, largely because of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, which limits defense spending.
US says Russia's ‘unpredictability in space.
Russia, despite the challenges it faces, will continue to pose a serious threat and be increasingly unpredictable to the US in space, US Space Command chief Steve Whiting warned at a congressional hearing on Thursday.
‘The challenges Russia has faced since its invasion of Ukraine should not give us false confidence that Moscow is losing its strength in space. Russia, while still troubled, will continue to be a formidable and increasingly unpredictable challenge to the United States in the decades ahead,’ the space command chief said, speaking at a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
He said Russia, in the context of the situation in Ukraine, ‘may begin to rely more on nuclear, cyber and space capabilities.
U.S. representatives do not intend to enter into dialogue with their Russian counterparts on security issues in outer space in the near future, said Stephen Whiting, head of the U.S. military's Space Command.
US media reported that representatives of President Joe Biden's administration were engaged in indirect negotiations with Russia, as well as its allies, to prevent Moscow from deploying weapons in space. It was alleged that countries such as China and India acted as intermediaries between the United States and Russia in this matter.
