Bipartisan US senators introduce bill to bolster Space Force amid China’s space push
Washington: Two US senators have introduced bipartisan legislation to strengthen Space Force readiness as China rapidly expands its military and commercial capabilities in space.
Republican Senator Katie Britt of Alabama and Democratic Senator Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada introduced the Space Superiority Readiness Act of 2026 on Wednesday.
The bill would expand wargaming, modelling, simulation, and training for members of the Space Force, known as Guardians. It seeks to ensure that US space operators can establish and maintain superiority during a potential conflict.
US forces depend heavily on space-based systems. They support missile warnings, navigation, communications, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting. Disruption of those services could weaken American military operations at the start of a conflict.
“It is well documented that China is determined to dominate the space domain and is working tirelessly to advance its space programs by investing in key sectors of the commercial space economy,” Britt said.
“The Space Superiority Readiness Act of 2026 underscores how critical space is as a warfighting domain,” she said.
Britt said the United States must be able to maintain control of space in a possible conflict with China. It must also have the resources and capabilities required to respond to new threats, she added.
The measure would require training programmes focused on the tactics, techniques and procedures needed to keep the United States ahead in space operations.
It would also require the administration to provide Congress with an unclassified report on China’s commercial space capabilities and their potential military uses. The report would be due within 180 days of the legislation becoming law.
The senators cited warnings from the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission that Beijing is rapidly developing space and counterspace capabilities.
“Space is a cutting-edge frontier we must take seriously. Communist China is expanding its military activities in space, and the United States cannot afford to fall behind,” Cortez Masto said.
The two senators recently visited Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, which plays an important role in missile warning, missile defence and space surveillance.
“Senator Britt and I recently saw the incredible work the U.S. Space Force is doing at Pituffik Space Base in Greenland, and I know that by providing Guardians with the tools, training, and resources they need, they will continue to be ready to confront any threat,” Cortez Masto said.
Britt has also backed efforts to move US Space Command headquarters to Huntsville, Alabama. She has supported the Marshall Space Flight Center and the Space Launch System, which powered the recent Artemis II mission.
The US Space Force was established in December 2019 as the sixth branch of the American armed forces. It operates within the Department of the Air Force and is responsible for organising, training and equipping forces for military operations in space.