Space Force Requests $832M for FY2022 Wish List

The Space Force is requesting $832 million in additional funding from Congress for its fiscal year 2022 unfunded priority list.

Weapon system sustainment accounts for the biggest chunk in the service’s wish list at $122 million.

The funding would advance the Range of the Future concept, which is aimed at updating military installations such as the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the Vandeberg Space Force Base to accommodate daily launches. Portions of the weapon system sustainment budget will also support the Space Based Infrared System, space situational awareness efforts and the Heritage Transition program, C4ISRNET reported.

The nascent service branch is also asking for $113 million to grow new missions. Some of the money will be invested in radio frequency payloads for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Blackjack program and the Air Force Research Laboratory’s WARTECH program.

The Space Force is also seeking $86 million to support the establishment of an independent professional military education program and $66.3 million to repair facilities and infrastructure.

The wish list also includes a $16 million request to support the service’s push to become digital. Embracing a digital culture and employing digitally minded and technologically-savvy personnel is a key goal outlined in the Space Force’s “Vision for a Digital Service” document.

The funding requested for the unfunded priority list is separate from the $17.4 billion FY2022 spending plan put forward by President Joe Biden for the Space Force. Biden allocated $11.3 billion for the service’s research, development test and evaluation efforts; $3.4 billion for operations and maintenance; and $2.8 billion for procurement.