After the US Air Force's estimate of $ 13 billion last September, which included the costs of President Donald Trump's Space Force, Pentagon officials have promised a reduction in "official" costs.
Patrick Shanahan, Deputy Secretary of Defense, in fact, speaking to reporters said that his team's initial estimate for the Space Force "could be" less than $ 5 billion, not only for the value of the dollar, but also because it is the result of a major overhaul of the Pentagon's space architecture.
The sum of $ 13 billion had raised not a few remarks from the defense community enough to make accusations against the Air Force, which, reluctant to the idea of a Space Force, was assuming very high costs to obstruct the program.
During the Defense One conference on Thursday, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson speaking on Shanahan's estimate strongly defended the figure put forward by the Air Force, saying the sum of $ 13 billion is needed to realize the scope of the directive. Trump.
“The president is making some decisions to present an opinion in conjunction with the budget proposal for fiscal 2020. The FY will go to Congress in February, so the cost will really be based on real needs compared to the Air Force proposal already given to the Pentagon. Basically it is the cost for an autonomous department and a unified combat command ”.
Already last month, Shanahan, during an exclusive interview with the Defense News, had promised that his project would cost less than that proposed by the Air Force.