The Pentagon disputes Congressional Budget Office estimates of the long-term costs of the Trump Administration’s proposed space organizations, a DOD spokesman told Space News.
“The CBO estimates are based on different assumptions than the DOD’s legislative proposal,” spokesman Tom Crosson said in a statement.
“The CBO did not consult with DOD or evaluate the DOD space force proposal,” he said. “The department proposed a lean organizational structure for the space force that avoids significant bureaucratic growth by leveraging existing Air Force capabilities.”
A CBO report issued last week estimated DOD creation of a space force under the Air Force, a U.S. space command and the Space Development Agency would incur annual costs from $1.1 billion to $1.9 billion, plus another $1.8 billion to $4.7 billion in one-time costs.
“The establishment of the United States space force is a small investment to ensure American leadership in space, protect our $19 trillion economy that runs on space, and ensure space capabilities for our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines,” Crosson added.
Space and Missile Systems Center photo by Van Ha