Trump directs Pentagon to create a Space Force as a separate military branch
by Travis J. Tritten
| June 18, 2018 12:45 PM
President Trump said Monday that he has directed the Pentagon to immediately begin the process of creating a new Space Force military service, seemingly ending a drawn-out debate between the military and Congress over whether the move is necessary.
“I’m hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces. That’s a big statement,†Trump said a meeting of the National Space Council at the White House. “We are going to have the Air Force and we are going to have the Space Force, separate but equal.â€
The announcement comes as the Pentagon is still working to finish up studies on military operations in space including an independent review ordered by Congress on how it would create a new service focused on protecting the U.S. against growing space threats from countries such as China and Russia. The review is not slated to be turned over to lawmakers until December.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis recently said it would be premature to create the new service without completing the review and fully understanding the issues facing the military in space.
The Air Force, which handles about 80 percent of the military's space operations, strongly opposed the idea of a Space Force when it was introduced by House lawmakers last year, saying it would just add unneeded bureaucracy. Since Trump came out in favor of the idea earlier this year, service leaders have said they are open to new ideas on how to handle space.
The Air Force referred all requests for comment to the Defense Department.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/trump-directs-pentagon-to-create-a-space-force-as-a-separate-military-branch