US President Donald Trump has called for the creation of the Space Force, a new branch of the American military to complement the Army, Navy, and Air Force.
There’s zero semantic trickery going on with that name. Trump simply proposed another wing of the armed forces. In space.
Speaking at a White House meeting of the National Space Council, Trump told reporters that “It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space.”
The President said he is directing the Pentagon to put that plan into action, in an attempt to create a warfighting entity “separate but equal” to the Air Force.
BREAKING: President Trump orders US military to form a “space force” military branch: “We must have American dominance in space.” pic.twitter.com/BQ0Vcy0tdA
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 18, 2018
For no reason other than the fact it’s funny, here’s a photo of US Vice President Mike Pence, who was also present at the meeting, looking like he’s trying to telekenetically move the rover model sitting in front of him.
Anyway. The move has already received some support within the US military framework.
“Space is a war fighting domain, so it is vital that our military maintains its dominance and competitive advantage in that domain,” one unnamed US defense official told CNN.
But there are a few hurdles Trump’s plan must jump before the US has weaponised spacecraft flying around the place. First, the move must receive approval from Congress, which is sure to be split on the idea – and its cost.
Secondly, the move may face some push-back from the Air Force, which currently handles much of America’s defensive capabilities pertaining to space.
Thirdly, any plan to strap nukes onto satellites would be difficult as the US is a signatory of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits those nations from hosting weapons of mass destruction in orbit.
It’s a massive move, and it’ll be worth keeping an eye on. Just like that time Trump, an obvious expert in celestial bodies, kept his eyes on last year’s eclipse.
We’re in safe hands, folks.
