Chief Space Operations Gen Douglas Schiess salutes

China has built a satellite network capable of locating and tracking US Navy carrier strike groups and transmitting targeting data to missile systems on the Chinese mainland. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess, sworn in on Wednesday as the third Chief of Space Operations in the six-year history of the US Space Force, is now responsible for countering that network.

The Change of Responsibility ceremony at Joint Base Andrews on Sept. 3, 2026, marked only the second leadership transition in the history of the Space Force. The service is so young that its founding commander, Gen. John "Jay" Raymond, retired just four years ago. Schiess succeeds Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, who retired after 35 years of service.

The transition comes as the Space Force seeks a $71 billion budget for fiscal year 2027. If approved in full by Congress, the request would represent an 80 percent increase over current funding in a single year. At the same time, China's military satellite constellation has grown by roughly 927 percent since 2015 to more than 1,189 operational satellites, including more than 510 designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, or ISR.

Why China's satellite network is a threat Schiess was appointed to address

At his Senate confirmation hearing on July 16, Schiess explained the role of China's ISR constellation. "They built a kill chain to be able to see our carrier strike groups, our bombers, at a much farther pace, speed, and distances, and they've also developed missiles and weapons systems to go after that," he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

In military terminology, a "kill chain" is a targeting architecture linking a series of steps: finding a target, fixing its location, tracking its movement, selecting a weapon, carrying out an attack and assessing the results. Disrupting any link can break the chain.

The People's Liberation Army has developed the find-and-track elements of that chain in orbit, using optical, multispectral, radar and radio-frequency satellites to monitor US carrier strike groups across the Indo-Pacific. The data can then be transmitted to ground-based missile systems, including the DF-21D and DF-26 anti-ship ballistic missiles, which are designed to attack naval targets at ranges beyond the traditional reach of a carrier's air wing.

For US security in the Pacific, the central question is whether China's ISR satellites would remain operational at the start of a conflict. The issue is now one of the Space Force's core missions and part of the responsibility Schiess inherits.

"The next major conflict could start in space," he told senators. "But if not, definitely space would be at the very beginning of any conflict."

China's rapid expansion in space has added urgency to the mission. "Every day, our potential adversaries advance their efforts to disrupt, degrade, and destroy our space capabilities, and they try to add to their own capacity to exploit space to their advantage," Schiess said in his first address to Space Force personnel at the Sept. 3 ceremony. "We cannot, we will not let that happen."

A budget built around China's threat — and not yet funded

The Space Force's fiscal 2027 request totals approximately $71 billion, consisting of $59 billion in base discretionary funding and a $12 billion reconciliation package. That compares with roughly $40 billion in fiscal 2026 and would be the most dramatic single-year increase sought by any US military service since the early Cold War.

Research and development alone exceeds $40 billion, more than the Space Force's entire budget in the previous fiscal year. Procurement is set at $19 billion, roughly five times the fiscal 2026 request.

The proposed allocation reflects the service's priorities. Missile warning and tracking would receive approximately $5 billion, an increase of $1.7 billion from fiscal 2026. A resilient low-Earth-orbit satellite constellation would receive about $3.5 billion, while a medium-Earth-orbit layer designed to withstand attacks would receive $1.4 billion.

These programs address the vulnerability Schiess highlighted during his confirmation hearing: if China destroys or disables US satellites early in a conflict, the United States could lose the GPS navigation, missile-warning and communications capabilities on which its armed forces depend.

The budget request, however, has not become law. The Air & Space Forces Association warned in late August that the Space Force is almost certain to begin fiscal 2027 on Oct. 1 under a continuing resolution. Such a stopgap measure would freeze spending at fiscal 2026 levels and prevent new programs from starting.

Seventeen percent of the full request was expected to come through the reconciliation package, which budget analysts say has already been substantially reduced from the administration's original proposal. Congressional approval of the entire $71 billion request remains uncertain.

"I would say that the $71.1 billion that the president has asked for is exactly what we need," Schiess told senators during his July hearing, framing the request directly around the perceived Chinese threat in space.

Who is Gen. Schiess? A physicist with 34 years in military space

Schiess, 56, holds a bachelor's degree in physics from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He is not a manager who entered the space field from another area, but a scientist by training who spent his 34-year career operating the systems now overseen by the Space Force.

He received his Air Force commission on June 27, 1992, and began his career as a missile crew officer and intercontinental ballistic missile commander at Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota. He later moved into GPS satellite operations and military satellite communications, serving at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado and operating the GPS constellation of the 2nd Space Operations Squadron.

From 2018 to 2020, he commanded the 45th Space Wing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, overseeing launch operations for the Eastern Range. He transferred to the Space Force in 2022 and became, in December 2023, the first commander of US Space Forces-Space, the service's component command to US Space Command. He later became deputy Chief of Space Operations for operations.

As commander of Space Forces-Space, Schiess had already advocated greater investment in artificial intelligence and machine learning. Speaking at the Mitchell Institute's Spacepower Security Forum, he said AI could help military personnel complete time-consuming operations more quickly and improve operational readiness, indicating that his leadership approach emphasizes technological acceleration.

His experience ranges from nuclear deterrence on the Great Plains to real-time satellite support for active combat operations. That background shaped the mandate he presented to Space Force personnel.

"Our Guardians operate from the ground, some in harm's way — some in harm's way today — and they require battlefield skills and the warrior mentality as much as our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen in our sister services," he said.

The reference to personnel being "in harm's way today" was not merely rhetorical. Iran has targeted ground-based US space and missile-defense infrastructure during ongoing operations in the Middle East.

A Senate handover that proceeded smoothly

There was little friction in Schiess's path to command. US President Donald Trump nominated him in May 2026. His Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on July 16 was attended by only six senators. Sen. Angus King of Maine said the limited attendance reflected the committee's confidence in the nominee.

The Senate confirmed Schiess on Aug. 6 through a unanimous-consent voice vote, one of the strongest endorsements Congress typically gives.

Saltzman, who is retiring after 35 years of service, promoted Schiess to four-star general during the Sept. 3 ceremony.

"He knows how to build teams, how to drive performance, and how to coax bureaucracies into mission success," Saltzman said. "He has the expertise to make wise decisions. He cares deeply for the people that do the work."

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said Schiess "brings the operational experience, strategic mindset and leadership we need to continue that momentum and ensure space capabilities remain a decisive advantage for our nation."

Is China's space program a deterrent or an offensive threat?

Schiess's description of China's satellite network as a kill chain built to target US warships reflects the official position of the US military, but outside experts have offered a more nuanced assessment.

Victoria Samson, chief director of space security and stability at the Secure World Foundation, testified in April 2025 alongside then-Chief of Space Operations Saltzman before the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. She said China "appears to be highly motivated to develop counterspace capabilities to bolster its national security," but added that it was "not entirely clear" whether China would use those systems offensively or view them primarily as deterrents.

Samson also warned that the United States should engage China through multilateral forums on space safety and situational awareness rather than focus only on technological competition. That argument — that an exclusively competitive framing could increase the risk of miscalculation — is a central challenge Schiess will face as both Space Force commander and a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The 2025 annual report of the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, however, offered a firm assessment. It said China was "aggressively positioning itself as a global leader in space technology and exploration, seeking to reshape international governance, influence standards, and displace the United States as the world's premier space power."

What "grow with intention" means

In his first message to the service, Schiess called on Space Force personnel to "capitalize on our foundation and evolve to meet the demands of a new era." The phrase that attracted the most attention was "grow with intention." It captures the tension facing the service: the Space Force must expand at unprecedented speed without outpacing its ability to recruit, train, retain and equip its personnel.

The service is on track to double from approximately 10,000 uniformed personnel to 20,000 over the next five years. Space Systems Command, its acquisition arm, is seeking to hire 100 civilians each month to maintain the pace of its programs.

Commercial integration is another priority. The Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve, described by the Space Force as the space-domain equivalent of the Air Force's Civil Reserve Airlift Fleet, aims to sign its first group of space-domain-awareness contracts by Sept. 30, 2026, followed by additional satellite-communications contracts.

The program would pre-negotiate access to commercial satellite capacity at peacetime prices, allowing the military to expand its use of that capacity rapidly without beginning a new contracting process when a conflict starts. By the end of fiscal 2026, the Space Force aims to have approximately 20 contracts covering space-domain awareness. Satellite-communications contracts are expected to follow in fiscal 2027, subject to funding.

A new leadership team takes shape

Schiess is not taking on the role alone. The Department of the Air Force also welcomed Erich Hernandez-Baquero as assistant secretary for space acquisition and integration. Hernandez-Baquero was sworn in at the Pentagon on Aug. 31, 2026, filling a civilian oversight position that had been vacant since January 2025.

He will oversee the rapidly expanding acquisition portfolio supported by the fiscal 2027 request.

What China's kill chain means for people who rely on GPS

The implications of Schiess's appointment extend beyond military planning. The satellite infrastructure protected by the Space Force — including GPS, satellite communications and missile-warning systems — supports navigation on smartphones, timing for bank transactions and the location data used by emergency services every day.

China's counterspace capabilities include ground-launched anti-satellite missiles, directed-energy systems designed to blind satellite sensors and electronic jamming systems capable of disrupting GPS and satellite communications. A 2007 Chinese anti-satellite test created a debris field of more than 3,500 fragments that remain in low-Earth orbit.

No binding international treaty prohibits the use of anti-satellite weapons. The United States announced a unilateral moratorium on destructive direct-ascent ASAT testing in April 2022, and more than 35 countries have pledged to observe it. China and Russia have not made the same commitment.

The legal framework governing warfare in space remains unsettled, according to the Secure World Foundation. That is why the officer leading the Space Force matters as much as the budget he inherits.

Schiess ended his first message to the service with a phrase reflecting both ambition and urgency: "We must grow with intention, leveraging our industry partnerships to advance our weapon systems and the way we fight."

Frequently Asked Questions

What is China's satellite kill chain, and why does it matter for US security?

China has assembled a network of more than 500 ISR satellites equipped with optical cameras, radar and radio-frequency sensors. The satellites can track US Navy carrier strike groups across the Pacific and transmit the data to PLA targeting networks linked to anti-ship ballistic missiles. Military analysts call this a "kill chain," a sequence connecting the discovery, location, tracking and attack of a target. If China maintains the chain at the start of a conflict, US carriers could face threats far beyond their traditional defensive perimeters. Disrupting the chain is now one of the Space Force's core missions.

How much of the Space Force's $71 billion request is funded?

As of Sept. 4, 2026, none of the request had been enacted. The $71 billion figure is a fiscal 2027 proposal that Congress has yet to pass. The Space Force is almost certain to begin the fiscal year on Oct. 1, 2026, under a continuing resolution that would keep spending at fiscal 2026 levels of roughly $40 billion and prevent new programs from starting. The $12 billion reconciliation package, representing 17 percent of the request, faces particular uncertainty.

What would it mean if space assets were threatened?

GPS signals support smartphone navigation, bank-transaction timing, emergency dispatch, aviation routing and precision agriculture. Military satellite communications carry command-and-control links for both humanitarian operations and combat forces. Significant disruption caused by jamming, directed-energy attacks or kinetic anti-satellite weapons could affect military operations and civilian infrastructure at the same time.

What is an anti-satellite weapon, and does the US have one?

Anti-satellite weapons are systems designed to destroy or disable satellites in orbit. They include ground-launched kinetic interceptors, directed-energy weapons such as lasers, co-orbital satellites that maneuver alongside a target, and electronic jamming systems. The United States, Russia, China and India have all demonstrated kinetic ASAT capabilities by destroying their own satellites in tests. China's 2007 test created more than 3,500 pieces of debris that remain in orbit. The United States declared a unilateral moratorium on destructive ASAT testing in 2022, but no binding international ban exists.

Originally published on Tech Times