Sam Wilson, director of strategy and program support at the Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy, said that while the first Trump administration supported proliferation as a method for deterrence, the next four years could expand on that approach. Whether that will include a more open discussion about fielding the types of space weapons China and Russia are demonstrating, or pursuing new operational approaches like sustained maneuver, is yet to be seen, he told Defense News.

“Based on the unclassified budget, the Space Force, to me, has largely thought about protecting its spacecraft using proliferation,” Wilson said. “But these other approaches could get attention to resources as well in the new administration.”