US Space Force top brass have requested a $700 million investment in cybersecurity as part of the military branch’s overall $30 billion 2024 budget.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and ongoing war has laid bare the national interest in defending critical networks, explained Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations, at a recent House Appropriations Committee hearing on Capitol Hill.

The $30 million investment in Space Force cybersecurity will “enhance the cyber defense of our critical networks associated with space operations,” Saltzman said, according to reports on the hearing. “There’s no question that space is going to be central to effective operations in the future.”

In May 2022, Space Force added four squadrons to shore up cybersecurity throughout the branch and oversee an overhaul of the outdated Satellite Control Network.