‘Chainsaw and meat-ax’ budget cuts headed for key security agency as foreign threats grow

Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman said China has created a “series of hundreds of satellites that are a sensor network that provide real-time updates, targeting quality information of our force” He added that the Beijing and the Kremlin deal to build a joint nuclear power plant and research station on the moon by 2030 is in direct competition with the U.S.-led Artemis moon mission. As Saltzman monitors the activity of China and Russia, NASA – the agency that collaborates with the Space Force on policy, space transportation, and human space flight – is facing steep cuts. “You are going directly at what NASA is all about, which is a science, research, and development agency with cutting-edge technology, and you’re cutting the guts and the heart out of that,” former NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. The only area the White House wants to increase spending at NASA is the human space exploration efforts. However, it is not clear if the House budget plans will make room for that priority. ‘That’s like eating our seed corn,’ Nelson said of the proposed cuts to NASA funding. The White House released the broad outlines of its budget this month.

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