Space News by Sandra Erwin — October 19, 2018
WASHINGTON — The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee wants the Pentagon to provide more precise details on how it would organize and fund a new military service for space. In an Oct. 4 letter, Chairman Mac Thornberry asks Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Paul Selva to deliver the data by Nov. 16.
In the letter, a copy of which was obtained by SpaceNews, the committee lays out four different ways in which a Space Force could be formed. Thornberry says he wants additional information before the committee endorses any one approach.
The committee will explore four options:
• A Space Corps model. This approach was embraced by the House in its version of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018. It envisions a separate military service organized under the Department of the Air Force rather than as a stand-alone department.
• An enhanced version of the Space Corps model. This would add Army and Navy space components and the Missile Defense Agency.
• An independent military department.
• A Special Operations Command-based model. This would be a Space Force that, like U.S. SOCOM, has authorities to organize, train and equip for space capabilities but would be led by a senior civilian.
More:
https://spacenews.com/house-armed-services-committee-exploring-several-paths-to-a-space-force/
