US warfighters are losing a massive force multiplier advantage as China advances in space
U.S. dominance in space has long served as a massive force multiplier for the American warfighter. Today, that dominance is increasingly powered by commercial space companies delivering advanced technologies—from daily Earth observation images to satellite-based internet and global telecom networks. These capabilities help our troops navigate, detect, and act faster than adversaries.
But as global tensions escalate, American leadership is at risk—from both foreign adversaries and shortsighted decisions at home.
During a May 14th hearing, Rep. Seth Moulton warned that the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) had reportedly slashed funding for commercial satellite imagery in the next fiscal budget. These proposed cuts aren't just a threat to the warfighter and our national security—they also jeopardize the viability of the U.S. commercial space sector.
From battlefield targeting to situational awareness, today's missions increasingly rely on persistent commercial satellite coverage. Weakening that capability leads to slower decisions, reduced effectiveness, and greater risk for U.S. and allied forces. These cuts threaten to undermine our intelligence capabilities and weaken our edge in the global space race.
China is wasting no time. Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co. (CGST), a Chinese government-funded commercial imaging company, operates over 100 satellites and an advanced communication architecture, and is positioning itself to disrupt markets, shape global norms, and collect intelligence at scale. This represents a significant advancement in China's satellite imaging and communication capabilities, and according to Western intelligence officials, Chinese commercial satellites have been used by Russia to image critical Ukrainian infrastructure, including nuclear power plants, in preparation for missile strikes.
This is part of a troubling trend: authoritarian regimes are weaponizing commercial space faster than we are defending against it.
Ironically, our allies and partners often adopt these American-made technologies faster than our own government. Allied defense agencies are incorporating U.S. commercial imagery and analytics more effectively than the very agencies that helped develop them. The RAND Corporation recently cited Ukraine's use of U.S. commercial space technology as an asymmetric advantage over Russia. Their report concluded: "U.S. policymakers should continue developing robust contract arrangements with commercial space providers."
Yet less than 1% of combined Department of Defense and Intelligence Community budgets are spent on commercial space. Even senior intelligence officials recognize the problem. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard recently noted that government agencies often reinvent tools the private sector has already developed more efficiently. Although commercial satellites generate terabytes of data daily, the government uses only a fraction. Decision-makers at NRO and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) still prioritize bespoke, classified satellites that take years to build and cost exponentially more than comparable commercial alternatives available now. They also create large, vulnerable targets for adversaries, while dual-use capabilities are far more practically and perceptively resilient.
After the Cold War, America took its space dominance for granted and came to rely on Russian rockets to transport American astronauts. We can't afford to make the same mistake with commercial satellite technology. While bipartisan support for commercial space innovation exists, it must now be matched with decisive and sustained investment. Instead of cutting vital initiatives, successful programs like the Electro-Optical Commercial Layer (EOCL) must be safeguarded and expanded. Procurement processes must be modernized across defense and intelligence agencies to keep up with fast-moving private-sector technologies. That means sending a clear, consistent demand signal—not the instability of continuing resolutions or last-minute reversals.
Cutting support for commercial space assets also contradicts President Trump's national security priorities. The president has accurately recognized space as "the next war-fighting domain." His administration has supported private-sector innovation and issued executive orders favoring commercial-first procurement.
But rhetoric isn't enough—we need structural reform. Congress often funds commercial programs only for agencies to "reinterpret" the intent and redirect resources toward building bespoke government systems. This raises a critical question: does it make sense to house commercial funding inside agencies that are institutionally incentivized to build their own satellites?
Congress should consider placing these funds in neutral entities that can acquire and deliver commercial capabilities across government. Agencies can focus on the exquisite systems only they can build, while commercial providers offer scalable, persistent solutions that adapt quickly to battlefield needs.
In his second term, President Trump has a historic opportunity to usher in another era of American space dominance—while giving the warfighter the tools and information they need. But this future hinges on a thriving commercial space sector supported by smart, forward-thinking policy.
Leaders in Washington must decide: will they let outdated thinking keep the world's best space technology off the battlefield—and allow China to seize the upper hand? Or will this White House break free from business-as-usual, invest in American commercial space capabilities, and secure our leadership in the most critical domain of the 21st century?
The answer should be obvious—and it is imperative.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Franklin County home listings asked for more money in May - see the current median price here
The median home in Franklin County listed for $364,900 in May, up 1.2% from the previous month's $360,720, an analysis of data from shows. Compared to May 2024, the median home list price increased 13.2% from $324,723. The statistics in this article only pertain to houses listed for sale in Franklin County, not houses that were sold. Information on your local housing market, along with other useful community data, is available at Franklin County's median home was 1,968 square feet, listed at $183 per square foot. The price per square foot of homes for sale is up 2.2% from May 2024. Listings in Franklin County moved briskly, at a median 36 days listed compared to the May national median of 51 days on the market. In the previous month, homes had a median of 38 days on the market. Around 196 homes were newly listed on the market in May, a 7.7% increase from 182 new listings in May 2024. The median home prices issued by may exclude many, or even most, of a market's homes. The price and volume represent only single-family homes, condominiums or townhomes. They include existing homes, but exclude most new construction as well as pending and contingent sales. In Pennsylvania, median home prices were $325,000, a slight increase from April. The median Pennsylvania home listed for sale had 1,708 square feet, with a price of $196 per square foot. Throughout the United States, the median home price was $440,000, a slight increase from the month prior. The median American home for sale was listed at 1,840 square feet, with a price of $234 per square foot. The median home list price used in this report represents the midway point of all the houses or units listed over the given period of time. Experts say the median offers a more accurate view of what's happening in a market than the average list price, which would mean taking the sum of all listing prices then dividing by the number of homes sold. The average can be skewed by one particularly low or high price. The USA TODAY Network is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu. Our News Automation and AI team would like to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us. This article originally appeared on Chambersburg Public Opinion: Franklin County home listings asked for more money in May - see the current median price here
CNET
22 minutes ago
- CNET
Stop Putting Your Phone Face Up on the Table
Have you ever been phone snubbed? That's what happens when you're spending time with someone who seems more interested in their phone. Your friend might be sitting right across from you but when they're laughing at a video or meme that only they can see, it feels like they're a million miles away. I've been guilty of paying more attention to my screen than my companion and I feel bad about it afterward. There's nothing wrong with replying to an urgent Slack message or pulling up a funny TikTok to share. But I know I probably spend too much time staring at screens and a lot of that time is unhealthy doomscrolling. These days, when I'm not using my phone, I try to be more deliberate about keeping it out of sight and out of mind. If I do need to keep my phone at hand, I always have it face down. It could help save your phone battery I have a few reasons for making sure my phone screen is turned away. The first one is practical: Because my screen is face down and won't turn on for each notification, I can save a little bit of battery charge. A single notification won't mean the difference between my phone lasting the whole day or dying in the afternoon, but notifications can add up, especially if I've enabled them across all of my apps. If I'm in a lot of group chats, my screen might end up turning on dozens of times throughout the day (and that's on the low side because many teenagers have hundreds of notifications a day). It also shows that you pay attention Keeping my phone face down is also a good rule of social etiquette: If I'm hanging out with someone, I keep my screen hidden from view as a subtle way of showing that I won't be distracted by it. I don't want incoming notifications to light up my screen every few seconds, especially if I'm in a bar or other dimly lit setting. I want to keep my eyes on the person I'm talking to. "Eye contact is one of the most powerful forms of human connection. Neuroscience research indicates that when two people make direct eye contact, their brain activity begins to synchronize, supporting more effective communication and increasing empathy. This synchrony can be disrupted when attention shifts to a phone, even briefly," says Michelle Davis, clinical psychologist at Headspace. When I'm with the people I've chosen to spend time with, I want to be fully present with them. A sudden notification will tempt me to glance at, or worse, pick up my phone in the middle of a conversation. It minimizes your phone's presence I also have a more personal reason for keeping my phone face down and I suspect that other people have had this same thought: My phone takes up too much space in my life. I mean that quite literally. My phone is bigger than it needs to be. That's been especially true since I upgraded from my iPhone Mini to a "normal-sized" iPhone. Yes, I got a much needed boost in battery life but I also got a screen with more pixels to lure me into the next news headline or autoplaying Instagram reel. A small smartphone isn't something that really exists anymore. My phone is bigger and better at grabbing my attention. It competes against my friends and family, books and movies, the entire world outside of its 6-inch screen. It often wins. But there's still one small thing I can do to minimize its presence: I can keep the screen turned away from me whenever possible. It can sometimes feel like there's no escaping from my phone. Whether that ever changes, or phones evolve into a new form factor, I can't say. I can't control everything about my phone, but I can control whether the screen stares at me when I'm not staring at it.
Associated Press
22 minutes ago
- Associated Press
SHAREHOLDER REMINDER: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Investigates Claims on Behalf of Investors of Compass Diversified
Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Securities Litigation Partner James (Josh) Wilson Encourages Investors Who Suffered Losses Exceeding $100,000 In Compass To Contact Him Directly To Discuss Their Options If you suffered losses exceeding $100,000 in Compass stock or options between May 1, 2024 and May 7, 2025 and would like to discuss your legal rights, call Faruqi & Faruqi partner Josh Wilson directly at 877-247-4292 or 212-983-9330 (Ext. 1310). [You may also click here for additional information] New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - June 20, 2025) - Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP, a leading national securities law firm, is investigating potential claims against Compass Diversified ('Compass' or the 'Company') (NYSE: CODI) and reminds investors of the July 8, 2025 deadline to seek the role of lead plaintiff in a federal securities class action that has been filed against the Company. [ This image cannot be displayed. Please visit the source: ] Faruqi & Faruqi is a leading national securities law firm with offices in New York, Pennsylvania, California and Georgia. The firm has recovered hundreds of millions of dollars for investors since its founding in 1995. See As detailed below, the complaint alleges that the Company and its executives violated federal securities laws by making false and/or misleading statements and/or failing to disclose that: (1) the Company's subsidiary, Lugano Holdings, Inc., maintained unrecorded financing arrangements and irregularities in its sales, cost of sales, inventory, and accounts receivable; (2) the irregularities and undisclosed details in Lugano Holdings, Inc.'s financial statements rendered the financial statements of the Company as a whole unreliable, and would require restatement; (3) the Company failed to maintain adequate internal controls related to its financial statements; and (4) as a result, defendants' public statements were materially false and/or misleading at all relevant times. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages. On May 7, 2025, after the market closed, the Company disclosed that its financial statements for fiscal year 2024 should no longer be relied upon in response to an ongoing internal investigation into the Company's subsidiary, Lugano Holding, Inc. The Company revealed that the investigation 'has preliminarily identified irregularities in Lugano's non-CODI financing, accounting, and inventory practices' and that "[e]ffective May 7, 2025, Lugano's founder and CEO, Moti Ferder, resigned from all of his positions at Lugano and will not receive any severance compensation.' On this news, Compass Diversified stock price fell 8% during after-hours trading on May 7, 2025, thereby injuring investors. The court-appointed lead plaintiff is the investor with the largest financial interest in the relief sought by the class who is adequate and typical of class members who directs and oversees the litigation on behalf of the putative class. Any member of the putative class may move the Court to serve as lead plaintiff through counsel of their choice, or may choose to do nothing and remain an absent class member. Your ability to share in any recovery is not affected by the decision to serve as a lead plaintiff or not. Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP also encourages anyone with information regarding Compass' conduct to contact the firm, including whistleblowers, former employees, shareholders and others. To learn more about the Compass Diversified investigation, go to or call Faruqi & Faruqi partner Josh Wilson directly at 877-247-4292 or 212-983-9330 (Ext. 1310). Follow us for updates on LinkedIn, on X, or on Facebook. Attorney Advertising. The law firm responsible for this advertisement is Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP ( ). Prior results do not guarantee or predict a similar outcome with respect to any future matter. We welcome the opportunity to discuss your particular case. All communications will be treated in a confidential manner. To view the source version of this press release, please visit
