The United States Space Force (USSF) is a proposed sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces intended to have control over military operations in outer space. It would absorb the operations and duties of the Air Force Space Command, a unit inside the United States Air Force that currently handles and supports most of the country's military operations in space.
Video United States Space Force
Rationale
The rationale is to defend assets in space that may be threatened by other spacefaring nations. In 2007, China launched a satellite killer that demonstrated to the world its ability to destroy a weather satellite in space (China destroyed its own satellite during the test). One year later, the United States matched the feat by destroying an American reconnaissance satellite. In 2018, China is suspected of backing hackers who are currently "waging a wide-ranging cyber espionage campaign against satellite operators."
Maps United States Space Force
History
Early proposals
In 2000, Donald Rumsfeld led a military reform commission that examined the role of the United States military in space, recommending a substantial consolidation of space-related activities under a single military command structure. This concept was not pursued due to the advent of the war with Iraq.
In 2017, a "United States Space Corps" was proposed as a sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces that would have absorbed the United States Air Force's space warfare mission, which is currently conducted by Air Force Space Command.
Many current and former Air Force, military, and space professionals were opposed to the measure, stating that such a proposal will not address acquisition issues, will derail integration between space and other domains, and cause unnecessary bureaucracy that could make acquisition and budget problems worse rather than better. Rather they propose giving space more autonomy in the Air Force and creating a Rapid Capabilities Office dedicated to space acquisition.
In June 2017, the United States House Committee on Armed Services (HASC) voted to include language creating the U.S. Space Corps in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act. The new service would be administered by the United States Secretary of the Air Force (much as how the Marine Corps falls under the Department of the Navy), but would be a separate branch, and guaranteed an equal seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. A provision in the House version of the 2018 U.S. defense budget requested the creation of the Space Corps. The top Republican and Democrat on the strategic forces subcommittee, Reps. Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Jim Cooper (D-TN), are leading this effort. Some members of the House Armed Services Committee, including Reps. Martha McSally (R-AZ), a retired Air Force colonel, and Mike Turner (R-OH) expressed concern that this proposal did not have any hearings or studies on it, and just heard about the proposal during the markup session. United States Senate Committee on Armed Services members Deb Fischer (R-NE), Tom Cotton (R-AR), John McCain (R-AZ), a former Naval Aviator, and Bill Nelson (D-FL), a retired Army Captain and Astronaut, expressed skepticism and opposition regarding the need for the creation of the Space Corps. Senator Nelson introduced an amendment to ban the creation of the Space Corps or any other similar service, which was passed by the Senate.
This proposal was opposed by the Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Strategic Command, Air Force Space Command, and military leaders such as Secretary of Defense James Mattis, Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Paul J. Selva, Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force General David L. Goldfein, the current commander of U.S. Strategic Command, General John E. Hyten, and the current commander of Air Force Space Command General John W. Raymond. Other former military and space leaders in opposition to this effort include Secretary Ash Carter, former Secretary of Defense; Secretary Sean O'Keefe, former United States Secretary of the Navy and NASA Administrator; Secretary Deborah Lee James, former Secretary of the Air Force; Secretary Michael B. Donley, former Secretary of the Air Force; Secretary Lisa Disbrow, former United States Under Secretary of the Air Force; General C. Robert Kehler, former commander of United States Strategic Command and former commander of Air Force Space Command; General Victor E. Renuart Jr., former commander of United States Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD); and Lieutenant General Edward G. Anderson III, former deputy commander of United States Northern Command and NORAD. The former commander of Air Force Space Command, General Lance W. Lord, is supportive of the effort, on the condition that the Army's and Navy's space programs are absorbed into the new Space Corps.
The specific language in the House bill authorizing the creation of the Space Corps was in H.R. 2810 Title XVI, Subtitle A, section 1601, §8091.
The idea of a separate Space Corps was killed in conference. Instead, the 2018 NDAA boosted the position of Air Force Space Command by extending the term of its commander to six years, and making it the sole command for all Air Force space forces.
Current proposal
President Donald Trump first floated the idea of creating a Space Force in a speech in March 2018, noting that "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".
On June 18, 2018, Trump announced in an address to the newly reformed National Space Council a directive creating a sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces. The president announced the Pentagon will create the "Space Force" as an independent service branch, separate from the United States Air Force. In his statement, Trump said that "we are going to have the Air Force, and we are going to have the Space Force" which he described as two "separate but equal" branches of the United States Armed Forces.
The new Space Force would absorb the operations and duties of the Air Force Space Command, a unit inside the Air Force that currently handles and supports most of the country's military operations in space. As constituted under the aegis of the Air Force, as of 2018 the command consists of more than 35,000 people across more than 130 locations.
See also
- United States Space Command
- Naval Space Command
- Space force
- Militarization of space
References
External links
- Strategic Forces 115th Congress, Armed Service Republicans
- 20170622 Markup of HR2810 FY18NDAA -- Strategic Forces (ID: 106134) U.S. House Armed Services Committee on YouTube
- H.R.2810 -- National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 -- House version, United States Congress
- S.1519 -- National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 -- Senate version, United States Congress
Source of article : Wikipedia
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