Trump’s ‘Space Force’ sounds a lot like the Space Corps his administration didn’t want
“I was not really serious, and then I said what a great idea.”
Today during a speech to military members in San Diego, President Trump proposed the idea of creating an entirely new branch of the US military specifically geared toward war efforts in space. He dubbed this theoretical new branch the “Space Force,” noting that such a new agency could become reality soon.
The problem is Trump’s administration actively opposed the idea of a Space Force last year. In June, the House Armed Services Committee drafted legislation in the National Defense Authorization Act that would create a “Space Corps” within the US Air Force.
The Air Force didn’t want it and even the White House objected to the idea at the time, saying it would create more bureaucracy. “I oppose the creation of a new military service and additional organizational layers at a time when we are focused on reducing overhead and integrating joint warfighting efforts,” Defense Secretary Jim Mattis wrote in a letter to the ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.
But that didn’t stop President Trump for advocating for a “Space Force” today. “My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air, and sea,” Trump said at the rally. “We may even have a ‘Space Force’ — develop another one. Space Force. We have the Air Force; we’ll have the Space Force.”
Trump insinuated that the idea started off as joke, but that he might seriously be considering it. “You know, I was saying it the other day because we’re doing a tremendous amount of work in space. I said, ‘Maybe we need a new force, we’ll call it the Space Force,’ he said. “And I was not really serious, and then I said what a great idea, maybe we’ll have to do that. That could happen. That could be the big breaking story.”
The “Space Force” is already a runaway meme on twitter , though, and it likely inspires ideas of weaponizing Earth orbit with military-style astronauts akin to Starship Troopers . However, that’s not happening anytime soon. (Also, the US is part of an international treaty that prohibits countries from putting nukes into space.) What Trump seems to be referring to is the Space Corps with a new name.
The proposed Space Corps would have functioned like the Marine Corps does within the US Navy; it would have been responsible for overseeing all of the Air Force’s operations in space. The goal was for the US to stay ahead of rivals like Russia and China, which are advancing in space-related military operations.
The Space Corps language was removed from the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act last year. However, the bill does leave the door open to a future space-related branch, The Hill reports , by requiring the Secretary of Defense to study the possibility of creating a space-related military branch someday. It’s unclear if Trump’s Space Force would be any similar to what the Space Corps was meant to be. But it seems like Trump is trying to resurrect an idea that his administration originally didn’t want.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/13/17117224/trump-space-force-air-force-corps-us-military
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Who will we be fighting? Do we have an alien enemy that we don't know about? Will we spend billions of dollars on space fighters and destroyer space craft that we will never use? Will the rank of the crew be Navy or Air force rank?
Is Trump insane to think we should do this and shouldn't we worry either way?
And BTW, the plans for going to Mars were in place and moving forward before he announced his candidacy, so we would be going to Mars no matter who was elected in 2016. Why does he have a childlike need to take credit for something that was going to happen anyway? Is he going to start taking credit for the sunrise and if he does what percentage of his followers will say he actually caused it to happen? I will bet serious money that it will top 20%. Seriously.
Nothing new here. People and countries go to space for knowledge and curiosity, except the U.S. we're going in space as police to keep them rowdy countries in line or as space pirates. (we space cops, we do what we want.)
Another trump fantasy, like any child.
I picture him thinking of himself as "Roger Ramjet"! Protecting the space around Earth from evil space villains! He has watched too many si/fi movies. I endorse money for watching for objects headed our way like asteroids or comets, but a space force so we rule the world from space? No, not in my lifetime!
I picture him thinking of himself as
"Roger Ramjet"!
.
HA!
I'd completely forgotten RR!
Perfect fit Randy!
Tom Corbett space cadet rises from the ashes wheeeeeeeeee!
Now there is an idea! Let's send Trump into Space as our nation's fighting First Space Cadet wearing no space helmet!!!
I'll contribute many of the quarters needed! I have a jar full of spare change in my home office and there must be at least $10 or 12 dollars worth in there!
Tell Elon Musk that he needs to design a rocket that can lift Trump's fat ass and ginormous ego into space.
Holy shit! I mean his heavy life rocket put a convertible car into space, but Donald Trump's ass? Hell I'll take a special crane just to lift him up to the top! Still I am a very strong supporter of shooting Donald Trump into space never to return, so I would be glad to see my taxes go up for the government to help on such a project!
The ramblings of a disturbed mind, a graduate of Trump University. No one can tell me that this man is not suffering some of the early signs of dementia. He has displayed many symptoms from the campaign trail all the way to the present day.
Take all of Trump's wandering about overseas and coming off airplanes, and every single photo, video, and look at every word and every event since he took office. The man is not right in the head. And I think his family knows it, they just don't want to get disinherited or "fired".
B-b-b-he is a genius. He took the test the proves he is smarter then everyone else! Of course the average 5th grader can take the same test and pass it with a perfect score, but I don't want the average 5th grader to have the nuclear codes.