Saltzman unveils 2040 blueprint to scale Space Force

Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman testifies during a budget hearing with the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee in Washington, D.C., June 26, 2025. (U.S. Air Force photo by Eric Dietrich)

By Satnews • Apr 16, 2026

On Wednesday, April 15, 2026, during a keynote address at the 41st Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Chief of Space Operations General B. Chance Saltzman released two foundational documents that redefine the service’s trajectory: “Future Operating Environment 2040” and “Objective Force 2040.” Collectively numbering 160 pages, these documents outline a 15-year roadmap to expand the Space Force into a significantly larger and more autonomous combat-ready service.

General Saltzman characterized the current era as a “point of departure,” asserting that the service must grow by thousands of Guardians—including officers, enlisted, and civilians—to meet the operational tempo demanded by the evolving threat landscape. The rollout coincided with the release of a record-breaking Fiscal Year 2027 budget request and signaled the CSO’s final major strategic push before his planned retirement later this year.

The “Future Operating Environment 2040” serves as an analytical framework rather than a specific intelligence assessment. It identifies China as the primary pacing threat, predicting an adversary capable of deploying integrated, AI-enabled space-ground operations on a global scale.