The Space Force's FY27 budget request asks for $71.2 billion — a fourfold increase from the $17.4 billion the service received in fiscal 2022, when the branch had roughly 8,700 active duty Guardians.
Senate confirmation of Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess
In a unanimous consent vote late on Thursday, the Senate confirmed Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess as the next chief of space operations (CSO). The confirmation was swift and non-controversial. Schiess, who currently serves as Space Force deputy, will be promoted to a fourth star as he assumes the service’s top uniformed role.
Transition from Gen. Chance Saltzman
Schiess will replace Gen. Chance Saltzman, who is expected to retire in mid-August. Saltzman took up the CSO post in fiscal 2022, a moment the service’s funding and personnel baseline is measured against in ongoing planning: that year the Space Force was appropriated $17.4 billion and comprised about 8,700 active duty Guardians.
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End the scrambleBudget, end strength, and growth goals
The FY27 budget request seeks $71.2 billion and proposes increasing active-duty end strength from today’s 10,657 to 13,200. Senior leaders — including Saltzman and Schiess — and other top Space Force brass have been lobbying for a much larger increase, aiming to roughly double the service’s size by 2030 to around 20,000 Guardians and civilians.
GAO report: personnel planning and contractor accounting gaps
A July 14 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) flagged a set of planning shortfalls that complicate any rapid expansion. The GAO found that “The Space Force has not established a process or guidance to consistently and accurately determine its personnel needs to accomplish its missions.” It also concluded that, although the service has estimated the number of contractor personnel supporting it, “the Space Force does not have a process or guidance to accurately measure the number of contractor personnel and the nature of work they perform.”
The GAO warned that without a solid planning process, the service risks failing to properly assign and manage personnel for current and future mission needs even if it secures congressional approval for a large increase. The watchdog also found the service is currently facing at least a 25 percent shortfall in personnel, including in cybersecurity and intelligence specialties.
Acquisition workforce pressure and rehiring efforts
Senior Space Force officials responsible for acquisition are pushing to rapidly rehire civilians after cuts tied to the prior administration’s push to slash federal employees and contractors. That effort is being driven in part by marching orders from Capitol Hill to beef up the service’s acquisition workforce — a cadre central to fielding satellites, software and other systems as the Space Force shifts toward warfighting roles.
What this means for cybersecurity teams, Capitol Hill appropriators, and acquisition leaders
- Cybersecurity teams and intelligence units: The GAO’s finding of at least a 25 percent shortfall in personnel, specifically cited for cybersecurity and intelligence, signals immediate pressure on already stressed mission areas. These teams will be watching rehiring plans and any acceleration of contractor support to bridge gaps.
- Capitol Hill appropriators and oversight committees: Lawmakers face a stark choice between approving a large budget and end-strength increase — the FY27 request is $71.2 billion and proposes raising active forces to 13,200 — and demanding more rigorous workforce and contractor-accounting plans, as the GAO has called for.
- Acquisition leaders and hiring managers: Rapid rehiring is underway to rebuild a depleted acquisition workforce. Those leaders will need clear guidance and head-count processes to ensure new hires match evolving mission requirements, especially as satellite and systems priorities shift toward combat roles.
Doug Schiess steps into the CSO role inheriting a service that is larger on paper than it was at its founding in 2019, but one that the GAO says lacks the personnel-planning processes to manage further growth reliably. The concrete question left by the record is whether the Space Force can produce the guidance and counting mechanisms the GAO has demanded while it simultaneously pursues a rapid expansion in budget and people — a task that falls to the new chief in the months ahead.
https://breakingdefense.com/2026/08/schiess-confirmed-as-third-space-force-chief/
