Patrick Shanahan has said that the Office of the Secretary of Defense expects the establishment of a Space Force to cost less than the amount that the U.S. Air Force had earlier projected, Defense News reported Thursday.
Air Force leadership said in a Sept. 14 memo that transitioning the service’s space functions into a separate, independent command would initially cost $3B and $13B overall in the course of five years.
During a recent interview with Defense News, however, Shanahan, the deputy secretary of defense, revealed that the OSD’s estimate will not be as high.
“I haven’t looked at the number,†Shanahan admitted, but insisted nonetheless that “it’s going to be less than†the Air Force’s projection.
“I’m not concerned that people are just going to generate a big bill,†the senior defense official added.
The OSD will likely release its own Space Force cost estimate before the year ends.
