Chief of Space Operations Gen. Jay Raymond made the case Friday for the growing armed service as it faces a flat defense budget while in need of additional personnel and platforms to fend off Russian and Chinese threats in space. But some experts say the latest service’s cry of fiscal poverty is overblown.

Hardly 18 months old, Space Force has just 5,200 “Guardians” and some 16,000 total personnel, including administratively assigned Air Force space professionals. While managing satellite launch sites in Florida and California, Space Operations Command in Colorado, and Space Systems Command in California, some 60 space-related departments are still housed within the Navy and Army. Bringing those over will cost money, as will developing and deploying the offensive and defense measures to protect America’s space architecture.