"We don't just monitor the domain; we stand ready to defend it," Gen. Douglas Schiess told reporters at the Air, Space, and Cyber Conference after acknowledging that U.S. forces now operate weapons on orbit.
Gen. Douglas Schiess: why the United States publicly acknowledged on-orbit weapons
Speaking at the Air, Space, and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland, Gen. Douglas Schiess, who took over as chief of space operations less than two weeks earlier, said advances by Russian and Chinese anti-satellite capabilities prompted the public admission. He framed the disclosure as a response to adversary activities and as a necessary clarification of U.S. posture: "we also need capabilities to not only defend the joint force from space-enabled attack, but defend our assets," he said, adding that "it was time that within the Department of War we talked about it."
How the Space Force describes its role in ongoing operations
Schiess tied the Space Force's operational posture directly to current conflicts, saying that "the Joint Force made it clear: without the Space Force's capabilities, the Joint Force could not and would not move forward." He cited the "current war on Iran" and said guardians are delivering space power "directly into the fight as a need-to-have," not merely supporting from the sidelines. He emphasized deterrence remains the objective but that deterrence will be pursued "from a position of strength."
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See what we buildOperation Epic Fury and the 42nd Electronic Warfare Detachment
The chief highlighted one example from U.S. Central Command: a guardian with the 42nd Electronic Warfare Detachment who "waged electromagnetic warfare against a determined adversary" during Operation Epic Fury. Schiess recounted that "even as alarm red sirens were blaring and incoming missiles targeted her site, she courageously held the line, protecting forces, denying adversary capability, and delivering space effects until her commander had to literally pull her from the console to safety."
Victus Haze exercise: a 17-hour on-orbit response
Schiess described a recent Space Force exercise, Victus Haze, to demonstrate rapid on-orbit response. He said Rocket Lab "quickly launched a space vehicle whose satellite chased after True Anomaly's spacecraft," and that the mission "demonstrated the ability to launch and respond to an on-demand, on-orbit threat in just 17 hours." He framed the exercise as proof that Space Systems Command, industry partners, and Combat Forces Command can deliver "a swift response" and pledged to continue efforts "to get faster and faster."
Budget request and congressional impasse: $71.3 billion and programs on hold
The Space Force has asked Congress for $71.3 billion for the fiscal year that began more than two weeks ago — a request the Aerospace Corporation said would be the largest single-year funding increase for a service branch, by percentage, since 1952. Schiess said additional resources are needed to "expand that advantage" and to "build a sustained pipeline of guardian talent" with proper training and equipment.
Whether Congress will grant the request is uncertain. The White House sought $1.15 trillion through the normal defense-budget process and an additional $350 billion through reconciliation — a budget maneuver the source calls "controversial and partisan" and notes was never used for defense funding before last year. The source reports the Trump administration is pressing the GOP-led Congress to use reconciliation to fund some major Space Force programs, naming the Air Moving Target Indicator, the space data network, and the bulk of funds for the Golden Dome missile defense program.
Meanwhile, Schiess told reporters that 10 percent of the service’s programs are on hold because Congress has not passed a fiscal 2027 defense spending bill. The federal government is operating under a stopgap funding measure that, according to his remarks, will elapse on Dec. 11.
What this means for Congress, Combatant Commands, and industry partners
- Congress: Lawmakers will be asked to decide on the $71.3 billion request amid a broader defense-funding debate and the White House’s proposed use of reconciliation for an additional $350 billion. That decision will determine whether programs now on hold can proceed and how Schiess's pledge to scale capabilities will be resourced.
- Combatant Commands: CENTCOM and other commands will continue to rely on space-enabled effects in ongoing operations — Schiess presented Operation Epic Fury as evidence that space capabilities are being employed in active conflicts and can materially affect combat outcomes.
- Industry partners: Companies such as Rocket Lab and firms involved in Victus Haze and rapid launch and on-orbit maneuvering will be central to the Space Force’s push for faster response timelines; Schiess said Space Systems Command and industry demonstrated a 17-hour response and that the service plans to accelerate such capacities.
Gen. Schiess' public admission puts a new gloss on a long-debated issue: the Space Force now says it fields on-orbit weapons intended to defend the joint force. With a major budget request pending, programs paused, and a stopgap funding deadline on Dec. 11 looming, the next decisive steps will come in appropriations halls and in the continued practice of space operations that Schiess described as both routine and, in his words, increasingly decisive.
