
Space Power: Space Force "Budget's Like A Protein Shake"
From The DownLink Podcast by The DownLink
April 24, 2026 · 48 min
About this episode
The episode discusses the proposed increase in the Space Force budget and its implications with experts in defense and space policy.
The Trump Administration is asking Congress to more than double the Space Force budget — but with billions flowing to classified programs and a missile defense shield still under development, the real question is whether this is a strategy or a very expensive bet. Laura Winter speaks with Todd Harrison, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute, and much respected NASA and Defense Department budget diviner; and Sam Wilson, Director, Strategy and Program Support, Center for Space Policy and Strategy, at The Aerospace Corporation.
People in this episode
Host: Laura Winter
Guests: Todd Harrison, Sam Wilson
Topics covered
- Space Force budget
- military strategy
- defense spending
- classified programs
- missile defense
- government policy
Keywords
- Space Force
- budget
- defense
- Trump Administration
- missile defense
- classified programs
- government spending
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: American Enterprise Institute, Center for Space Policy and Strategy, The Aerospace Corporation, Trump Administration, Space Force
More episodes of The DownLink Podcast
- Space Money: At $1.77 Trillion It’s SpaceX IPO Day! · June 12, 2026 · 56 min
- Space Power: What Is Taiwan Building? Why? · June 5, 2026 · 44 min
- Space Competition: AIAA's Clay Mowry On What The Commercial Sector Wants · May 22, 2026 · 35 min
- Space Tech: Can Space-Based Solar Power Close the Business Case? · May 15, 2026 · 49 min
- Space Money: Terran Orbital and the Race to Scale · May 8, 2026 · 30 min
- Space Competition: Sovereign Systems May Have Entangled Outcomes · May 1, 2026 · 34 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The DownLink Podcast podcast page.