What Is the U.S. Space Force Becoming as Its Mission, Budget, and Acquisition System Expand?

The U.S. Space Force entered 2026 with a fiscal year 2027 funding request large enough to change the scale of a military service created less than seven years earlier. The August 10, 2026 Congressional Research Service primer calculates a $71.3 billion total request, consisting of $59.2 billion in discretionary funding and $12.1 billion in anticipated mandatory funding. The Department of the Air…