House Armed Services Committee Challenges Space Force Satellite Program Decisions
The House Armed Services Committee has moved to preserve a Space Force missile-warning satellite program that the Pentagon plans to cancel. The committee authorized $415 million for the Next-Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared Polar program during the markup of the fiscal 2027 defense policy bill. This program, developed by Northrop Grumman since 2018, is designed to provide missile-warning coverage over the Northern Hemisphere, particularly the polar regions. The Pentagon's fiscal 2027 budget proposes terminating the program, citing newer architectures in low Earth orbit and medium Earth orbit as sufficient replacements. However, the committee views the program as critical, especially given the capabilities demonstrated by China and Russia to degrade U.S. space assets. Additionally, the committee criticized the Space Force's recent procurement of only two satellites for the Protected Tactical SATCOM-Global program, which was initially intended to be a proliferated network. 
