June 7, 2019
FY2020 National Security Space Budget Request: An Overview
Congress may choose to approve, reject, or modify the
FY2020 President’s budget request for National Security
Space (NSS), which includes $14.1 billion for space
launches, satellites, and other activities. The request also
includes funding to begin the process of establishing a U.S.
Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces, a
separate branch within the U.S. Air Force.
Background
NSS is a Major Force Program (MFP) of the Department of
Defense (DOD). An MFP is an aggregation of resources
necessary to achieve DOD objectives or plans. Of the dozen
MFPs, six are combat force programs and six are support
programs. The MFP for National Security Space, MFP-12,
is the newest. Congress directed its establishment in the
FY2016 National Defense Authorization Act (P.L. 114-92).
MFP-12, a support program, includes funding for some
classified programs. It generally excludes funding for
National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) and
National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) programs.
Budget Request
According to DOD, the $14.1 billion requested for NSS in
FY2020 is $1.76 billion (14%) more than the FY2019-
enacted amount of $12.3 billion. By comparison, the
department’s overall FY2020 budget request is 4.9% more
than the FY2019-enacted amount. The FY2020 budget
request for NSS includes $72.4 million in a new
appropriation, “Operation and Maintenance, Space Force,”
to establish a U.S. Space Force headquarters. The figure
amounts to less than 1% of the total MFP budget request.
See Figure 1.
By Appropriation Title
Broken down by appropriation title, more than half (60%)
of the budget request is for research, development, test, and
evaluation (RDT&E). See Table 1.
Table 1. FY2020 National Security Space Budget
Request, by Appropriation Title
(in millions of dollars of budget authority)
Source: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller).
Notes: RDT&E is research, development, test, and evaluation; Proc.
is procurement, O&M is operation and maintenance. Numbers may
not sum due to rounding.
By Military Service
Broken down by military service, the vast majority (91%)
of the budget request is allocated to the Air Force. See
Figure 1.
Figure 1. FY2020 National Security Space Budget
Request, by Military Service
(in millions of dollars of budget authority)
Source: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)
Notes: Numbers may not sum due to rounding.
Selected Acquisition Programs
Approximately 84% of the budget request is for acquiring
space-based systems, including space launch, satellites, and
support activities. Major space-related acquisition programs
include the following:
National Security Space Launch (NSSL). The
budget requests $1.7 billion, including $1.2 billion
in procurement and $432 million in RDT&E, for
four launches in the NSSL program. Formerly
known as the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle
(EELV) program, NSSL provides launch services
for medium- and heavy-lift class satellites for the
Air Force and other government agencies.
Global Positioning System III (GPS). The
budget requests $1.8 billion, including $1.3 billion
in RDT&E and $477 million in procurement, for
one GPS III satellite and related projects. The
technology provides worldwide positioning,
navigation, and timing (PNT) information to
military and civilian users. Funding would support
the GPS III Follow-on satellite, GPS Next
Generation Operational Control System (OCX),
and Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE), all of
which are intended in part to provide a more
powerful jam-resistant signal and information to
military personnel in contested environments.
Space Based Overhead Persistent Infrared
Systems (OPIR). The budget requests $1.6
billion, including $1.4 billion in RDT&E and $234
