In space, the old debates about turf are obsolete

When the U.S. Army recently unveiled plans to expand its space cadre and deepen its bench of expertise, the move raised questions about whether the service was edging into the Space Force’s territory and setting up a fight over limited resources.

On paper, the concerns make sense. In practice, they miss the larger reality: the United States military has already crossed the threshold where space is no longer a niche enabler. It is now the backbone of modern warfighting. Every service, not just the Space Force, is in the space business.

Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt, the Space Force’s outgoing deputy chief of space operations, put it bluntly: “I go to many meetings … and everyone says, ‘Hey, we can’t do our mission without space.’”

That has become a defining truth of 21st-century conflict. Precision fires, communications, navigation, logistics, missile warning and intelligence all depend on space-based systems. If the Army is training soldiers to become better space professionals, that is not duplication. It is survival.

The value of space, however, is still only partly reflected in the budget, as Burt pointed out. “I appreciate that everyone understands the importance of space,” she told SpaceNews. “But this is one of those, ‘put your money where your mouth is.’”

The Trump administration’s fiscal 2026 budget request includes $26.3 billion for the Space Force, which is less than the $28.7 billion it received in 2025. Congress, meanwhile, advanced a reconciliation package including $13.8 billion earmarked for the Space Force, pushing the service’s 2026 funding above $40 billion. Much of that growth stems from the administration’s Golden Dome initiative, a missile defense program now at the core of U.S. space priorities.

Against that backdrop, the Army’s decision to grow its space cadre is less about poaching from the Space Force than ensuring its soldiers are prepared for a battlefield increasingly shaped by space.

Blurring of lines

Golden Dome is expected to leverage space-based architectures for persistent global coverage, real-time tracking and cueing of interceptors. The Space Force will procure and operate most of the satellites, but the Army will need to integrate the resulting data into its missile defense units. That requires soldiers who understand how to exploit it in combat.

A similar blending is underway in the Air Force, which is evaluating concepts for migrating ground moving target indicator (GMTI) and airborne moving target indicator (AMTI) missions from aircraft to satellites. The shift acknowledges that persistent surveillance from space is the long-term solution, though the technology remains unproven.

Accuracy, timeliness and the ability to push actionable data to troops in the field are the main goals. The Air Force may need to retain some manned assets until satellites can fully deliver. Once again, overlapping responsibilities in space are unavoidable.

The Army brings distinct demands. Soldiers depend on positioning, navigation and timing. Units in contested theaters need beyond-line-of-sight communications that only satellites can provide. Missile defense brigades rely on early warning from orbit to cue interceptors. And long-range missile targeting depends on space-enabled targeting.

Without an internal cadre that understands these systems, the Army risks being a passive consumer of data it cannot fully exploit.

A recent Pentagon directive on “Army Transformation and Acquisition Reform” instructs the Army to prioritize “counterspace” investments — technologies to deny adversaries use of communications, navigation or other satellite-based capabilities.

An accelerating trend

The Pentagon’s space posture is still evolving. The Golden Dome program, the migration of GMTI/AMTI to orbit and the Army’s cadre expansion all point to the same trend: space is becoming more mainstream across every mission set. Integration is the new watchword.

Efficiency remains a concern. Budget growth may not continue, and duplication of effort is a real risk. But the conversation is shifting from “who owns space” to “how best to integrate space.”

The Space Force will remain the Pentagon’s lead for acquiring and operating core space assets. But integrating those capabilities into ground warfare is the Army’s responsibility. Similar dynamics are likely to play out across the other services.

Space has become the connective tissue of modern war. Any military force intent on winning in the 21st century will need its own space-savvy professionals.

This article first appeared in the “On National Security” commentary feature in the September 2025 issue of SpaceNews Magazine.