WASHINGTON — Gen. Chance Saltzman, the Space Force’s top officer, announced Dec. 17 that the service will establish a new Futures Command in early 2025, a move aimed at giving the military’s newest branch more analytical firepower to justify its programs and spending.
Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Saltzman said the new command will help provide “the data set that we can then use in the budget fights” — a crucial capability as the Space Force faces growing congressional scrutiny over its acquisition speed and strategic focus.
CSIS on Tuesday hosted an event marking the Space Force’s fifth anniversary.
Saltzman and other officials at the event highlighted growing concerns about China’s rapidly advancing space capabilities, which include everything from satellite-killing weapons to new communications systems that could give Beijing an edge in future conflicts.
A new command
The Futures Command will expand on work currently done by the Space Warfighting Analysis Center (SWAC), adding new organizations focused on threat analysis and capability planning to determine what forces and systems the Space Force needs to counter emerging challenges.
The new command also will have a dedicated wargaming team to test potential technologies through tabletop exercises and learning campaigns, and will do requirements validation to ensure new programs have rigorous analytical backing.
Speaking last week at the Spacepower Conference in Orlando, Florida, Kelly Hammett, who leads the Space Force’s Rapid Capabilities Office, suggested the Futures Command could help streamline how the service handles requests from regional military commands, creating “a prioritized set of requirements” rather than trying to juggle competing demands.
Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton, deputy chief of space operations for strategy, plans and programs, told reporters at the Spacepower Conference that the plan is to name a two-star commander and begin a basing process to select a headquarters location. The SWAC is currently based in Colorado Springs.
Although Saltzman first unveiled plans for the Futures Command in February 2024, the decision to push its establishment to early 2025 appears designed to give the incoming administration a voice in shaping the new organization’s structure and priorities.
Congressional scrutiny
Even as the Space Force moves to strengthen its planning capabilities, it’s facing heat from Capitol Hill over the pace of its technology development.
“We can no longer afford to wait eight or more years to develop requirements, and conduct long drawn-out competition processes,” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said at the CSIS event. “Nor can we afford these endless cost-plus development contracts.”
Rogers, a key oversight figure for military space programs, pushed for the Space Force to develop more acquisition and technology experts rather than focusing primarily on operators. “After all, what are those operators going to operate if acquirers aren’t acquiring?” he noted.
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