Page 60 - The 'X' Chronicles Newspaper - October / November 2018

60 Space Force USA

What Is the U.S. Space expertise to combat commanders and anyone Space Force or something else, it is absolutely
else throughout the Space Force. critical to have someone who thinks about this
Force? 3. Create a United States Space Command – day and night," Terry Virts, a retired NASA
Led by a four-star general or flag officer, the astronaut and former Air Force fighter pilot, told
new space command would direct and improve SpaceNews.
By Jeremy Rehm
operations for space war fighting. Representative Mike Rogers, R-Ala.,
These three components would later be first made such a proposal. He called it the U.S.
The United States Space Force is a newly
united to become the final Space Force. Space Corps during the 2016 Space Symposium
proposed military branch that President Donald
in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Trump announced during a meeting of the
Why is a Space Force needed? The proposal was eventually included as
National Space Council on June 18, 2018. If the
an amendment to the House of Representatives
proposal is enacted, it will become the sixth
Russia and China are the U.S.'s two greatest 2018 National Defense Authorization Act,
armed forces branch, joining the Navy, Army,
space competitors and also potential military which spelled out the Department of Defense's
Marine Corps, Air Force and Coast Guard.
threats. And both have demonstrated formidable budget and policies for the 2018 fiscal year. The
President Trump's announcement took
space capabilities. House passed the bill with the amendment, but
many by surprise, especially in the Pentagon.
In 2007, for example, China launched a members of the Senate viewed the amendment
Some saw the sudden proposal as a strategy to
missile that climbed skyward for 500 miles until with skepticism and ultimately vetoed it.
compel Congress and the Department of
it impacted one of the country's own defunct Trump then commandeered the debate in
Defense into supporting a military branch
weather satellites, which rained down in June 2018 and announced the administration
focused solely on space. Others saw it as
thousands of pieces. In a similar unnerving would form the U.S. Space Force.
answering the need to address the growing
event in 2014, a piece of supposed Russian
rivalry and presence of China and Russia in space junk called Object 2014-E28 turned out to What's next?
space.
be an autonomous robot of sorts that was
"It is not merely enough that we have
capable of docking onto satellites. Many details remain uncertain, such as
American presence in space," Trump said during
During his August 2018 address, Pence how much a new military branch would cost and
his public proposal. "We must have American
said that China was investing in hypersonic whether Congress would ever fund it.
dominance in space."
missiles capable of evading U.S. detection. And "It's hard to see a scenario where the
Vice President Mike Pence officially
both Russia and China had integrated anti- Space Force doesn't need a bunch of additional
unveiled the plans for the U.S. Space Force a
satellite attacks as part of their wartime money to not only fund the reorganization but
short two months later on Aug. 9, 2018.
protocols. also all the new programs and capabilities,"
Given that the U.S. government and Brian Weeden, a space policy expert at Secure
So, what is the Space Force?
military rely heavily on satellites for forecasting World Foundation in Washington, D.C., told
weather, collecting high-resolution images for Politico.
As much as it sounds like the Space Force will
intelligence and directing missiles with GPS The White House pushed for Congress to
be astronaut soldiers wielding blaster rifles, the
satellites, the threat became obvious. invest an initial $8 billion in national security
reality is much more mundane. Rather than
space systems over the next five years. But
deploying soldiers in space, the Space Force will Does something like this already exist? creating an entirely new branch of the military is
focus on national security and preserving the expected to cost much more. A leaked memo
satellites and vehicles that are dedicated to
China, Russia and the United States have from the Air Force in mid-September shows
international communications and observation.
military sectors already dedicated to space. estimates of it requiring as much as $13 billion
Immediately following Pence's
Russia revived the Russian Space Forces in in its first five years.
announcement in August, the Pentagon released
2015 as a branch of the Russian Aerospace Because the program would also draw
a report that detailed some of the Department of
Forces. In the same year, China established the resources and a necessary 13,000 personnel
Defense's immediate actions for creating the
People's Liberation Army Strategic Support away from other military branches, some fear it
Space Force:
Force as the space and cyberwarfare branch of would weaken the U.S. military overall.
1. Establish a Space Development Agency – The Pentagon, nevertheless,
This is an agency tasked with developing and the People's Liberation Army.
The U.S. has the Air Force Space immediately got to work on laying out the
testing new and improved national-security
Command, which is integrated into the U.S. Air proposal. Less than two months later, in early
capabilities and technology in space.
Force. But many have argued that an August 2018, Pence announced that the new
2. Establish a Space Operations Force – This
independent branch should be established to branch would be established as soon as 2020. []
force will be a collection of space experts from
focus exclusively on space. "Whether it's a
throughout the military who will provide needed