UNITED STATES
US President, Donald Trump’s plan for a US Space Command as a sixth branch of the country’s armed services is still alive but its fate is very much up in the air.
At a ceremony at the White House, Mr Trump said the Space Command “will boldly deter aggression and outpace America’s rivals by far”.
However, it will be up to the US Air Force to organise, train and equip a corps of military space operators, and that step requires Congressional approval.
Mr Trump was initially ridiculed for his focus on a Space Force, but the idea has gained traction in the Pentagon and on Capitol Hill.
In a sign of the proposal’s international support, France has announced the creation of its own space force.
Most experts agree that better organising the US military and intelligence community to address space operations is a critical national security issue.
Chief of the Space Command, General Jay Raymond said it was designed for “a different strategic environment in which the United States must compete for dominance with new players”.
“China and Russia in particular have greatly increased investment in space operations in recent years,” General Raymond said.
“We are the best in the world at space today, [but] our level of superiority is diminishing.”
He said space would not become the country’s Achilles’ heel.
The idea of a US Space Command is not new.
In fact, one was created in 1985 to coordinate the space operations of the different armed services; however, it was disbanded in 2002 after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
General Raymond said that, unlike the original, the new version would have a sharper connection to the intelligence community — specifically the National Reconnaissance Office — as well as the space operations of US allies.
Washington, DC, 2 September 2019
