Space Force Chief Nominee: China Going ‘Breathtakingly Fast’ with Space Weapons

China’s rapidly advancing capabilities in space are a major concern for the presumed next chief of U.S. Space Force, who will likely oversee rapid growth in manpower and equipment to counter the growing threat.

“What they are doing with what I’ll call counter-space and space superiority capabilities is breathtakingly fast,” Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess said during his July 16 confirmation hearing to be the next Chief of Space Operations.

Schiess’ comments echo what U.S. Space Command boss Gen. Stephen N. Whiting told the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2024. At a hearing then, Whiting said that what “China and Russia are doing, particularly building with their counter-space weapons, they’re moving breathtakingly fast,” a phrase he has used multiple times since.

When Schiess was asked by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) specifically what space threats China poses to the United States, especially in the Pacific region, he rattled off a list of developments: anti-satellite tests from the ground, space capabilities that hold U.S. satellites at risk, and electromagnetic jamming capabilities under development that are “very worrisome.”

And it’s not all threats to U.S. satellites. The Chinese military is also using intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites to target “our forces much farther than they ever have,” Schiess added.

“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,” Schiess said. “So, the Space Force needs to be able to bring capability to deny, degrade that kill web to be able to protect the joint force.”

Golden Dome

Facing skeptical questions from Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) regarding the Pentagon’s ambitious Golden Dome missile defense shield, Schiess deftly defended the program.

“Is there a way to do the Golden Dome at a scaled-down version?” Blumenthal asked.

The Pentagon has estimated Golden Dome, overseen by director Gen. Michael A. Guetelin, will cost $185 billion.

“Senator, if confirmed, I look forward to working with Gen. Guetlein … ,” Schiess said. “What I would say is a lot of the things that we are doing in Golden Dome also provide us capabilities for space superiority, whether that’s tracking, communications, data, those kinds of things. So, I do believe that we will continue to get good things from Golden Dome.”

President Donald Trump nominated Schiess to become the only the third service chief of the Space Force since its founding in 2019. He would succeed Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, who took the job in 2022 after the first Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond.

Schiess currently serves as the deputy CSO for operations. He formerly led Space Forces-Space, the service’s component within the combatant command.

The three-star commissioned as an Air Force second lieutenant in 1992 through AFROTC at the University of California-Los Angeles. He transferred to the Space Force in 2020, according to his official biography.

Manning the Force

As CSO, Schiess would be responsible for manning, training, and equipping America’s space service. To do so, he’ll have to manage the growing manpower of the fledgling force and the delivery of new technology in a rapidly evolving domain.

With about 10,000 Guardians and 2,000 civilians in its ranks, the service wants to add 2,800 more uniformed personnel and another 2,000 civilians in fiscal 2027. Over the next five years, the Space Force wants to nearly double its number of uniformed Guardians to 20,000.

But the Space Force is operating, like other parts of the federal government, with a bit of a deficit of civilian staff following last year’s purges of the federal workforce.

The Space Force lost an estimated 780 civilian employees in that move. Now the service is trying to reverse those losses and recover some of that civilian expertise through steady hiring.

“That was a significant cut to us, but we are working to bring those back,” Schiess said. “As a matter of fact, Space Systems Command is trying to hire 100 civilians a month.”

“And are you able to find those hundreds?” asked Sen. Angus King (I-Maine).

“We are able to do that,” Schiess said. “Some of those are in different locations, but the Space Force doesn’t have a problem with people wanting to join it. It’s just finding the right spot for them.”

If confirmed, Schiess faces the challenging task of continuing to grow the new force as it battles for budget dollars alongside its much larger, more well-established sister services.

Retired USSF Col. Charles Galbreath, director for Space Studies at the Mitchell Institute’s Spacepower Advantage Center of Excellence, noted that the goal of doubling the service’s size is “not a trivial matter.”

In commentary for Breaking Defense, Galbreath recommended that Schiess consider restoring members separated for non-disciplinary reasons, interservice transfers, integrating the Guard and Reserve forces, and direct appointments to meet the doubling goal.

Next Steps

Based on his reception at the hearing and multiple senators’ comments, it appears Schiess is on a glide path to confirmation. First, the Senate Armed Services Committee will have to vote on his nomination before it heads to the full Senate.

Only a handful of senators attended the confirmation hearing, which lasted a brief 40 minutes.

“General, I think you should take heart from the fact that not all of our members are here today; that’s a compliment to you,” King said. “ … The fact that we didn’t have a large turnout is an indication, I believe, of the committee’s confidence in you.”