Trump orders creation of space-focused U.S. military branch

By Makini Brice and Steve Holland

 

U.S. President Donald Trump displays his signature after signing a national space policy directive during a meeting of the National Space Council in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 18, 2018. REUTERS/Leah Millis

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said he was ordering the creation of a sixth branch of the military to focus on space, a move critics said could harm the Air Force.

 

"It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space," Trump said before a meeting of his National Space Council.

 

"We are going to have the Air Force and we're going to have the 'Space Force.' Separate but equal. It is going to be something," he said later.

 

The United States is a member of the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, which bars the stationing of weapons of mass destruction in space and only allows for the use of the moon and other celestial bodies for peaceful purposes.

 

The idea of a Space Force has been raised before, by Trump and previous administrations, with proponents saying it would make the Pentagon more efficient.

 

It has also faced criticism from senior military officials. Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein told a 2017 congressional hearing that creating a new space branch would "move us in the wrong direction." The Air Force oversees most of the country's space-related military activity.

 

The move would require the budgetary approval of the U.S. Congress, which has been divided on the idea.

 

"Thankfully, the president can't do it without Congress because now is NOT the time to rip the Air Force apart. Too many missions at stake," U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat, said on Twitter.

 

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said the department's policy board would prepare to implement Trump's order.

 

"Working with Congress, this will be a deliberate process with a great deal of input from multiple stakeholders," White said in a statement.

 

In December, the president signed a directive that he said would enable astronauts to return to the moon and eventually lead a mission to Mars. He has ordered the government to review regulations on commercial space flights.

 

Americans first landed on the moon in 1969, reaching a goal set by former President John F. Kennedy in 1961 and capping a decade-long space race between Washington and Moscow.

 

Since then, U.S. efforts to explore beyond the Earth's orbit have largely focused on remote spacecraft that do not have human crew members, though American presidents have raised the idea of sending humans back to the moon or further.

 

(Reporting by Makini Brice and Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali and Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Scott Malone and Sandra Maler)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-06-19

Oh great, reigniting space wars.   

 

I suppose it will happen eventually, regardless of who starts.    

So it's official!

 

The orange buffoon is raising the "Space Cadets".

 

I wonder whose children will be put behind wire as bargaining chips to secure funding for this plan to make 'murica great again"?

Edited June 19, 20188 yr by JAG

I guess the reality TV con artist has been watching old cartoons again...

 

Starcom: The U.S. Space Force

 

 

Given Trumps vast and deep lack of knowledge regarding science, history, government, American values, truth.... you name it.... he would be at top of list of space cadets

Waiting to see the cartoons/Photoshop pictures of him sitting on a rocket. 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

"It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space," Trump said before a meeting of his National Space Council.

Sometimes it is good to know your place and Trump needs to realize how silly he is and how very very small mankind is. Or maybe he can speak with some authority as he has clearly come from another planet.

13 minutes ago, Emster23 said:

Given Trumps vast and deep lack of knowledge regarding science, history, government, American values, truth.... you name it.... he would be at top of list of space cadets

If it weren't for those convenient bone spurs...

Has Fox been airing episodes of Star Trek?

9 minutes ago, RandG said:

Waiting to see the cartoons/Photoshop pictures of him sitting on a rocket. 

Great comments here. I like!

"pictures of him sitting on a rocket"

Maybe when "little rocket man" gets his way and proves who really is the better deal maker, it'll be a N K rocket that he's sitting on. 555

 

so much for not militarising space.

I read a longer report this morning and it is clear that President Trump has his sights focused on the many possible trillions of trillions of $ that the Moon and Mars might possess in Gold, diamonds etc. He clearly states that the USA must remain in front of everyone else in this enterprise...and is prepared to do anything to make that happen. Having said that, NASA still relies on Soviet rockets for astronaut transport, since the space shuttle program ended, so I wonder if there might be repercussions there. He is also looking to the American rich, whom he says 'likes rockets', to play a major role.

However, none of this is surprising given recent events and successes of Space X and Unity. I understand that Tax revenue documents were already drafted months ago so no one will escape that either. We'll simply carry our greed and problems to worlds beyond and scientific explorations will take a second seat...eventually, Ha! 

5 minutes ago, TKDfella said:

I read a longer report this morning and it is clear that President Trump has his sights focused on the many possible trillions of trillions of $ that the Moon and Mars might possess in Gold, diamonds etc. He clearly states that the USA must remain in front of everyone else in this enterprise...and is prepared to do anything to make that happen. Having said that, NASA still relies on Soviet rockets for astronaut transport, since the space shuttle program ended, so I wonder if there might be repercussions there. He is also looking to the American rich, whom he says 'likes rockets', to play a major role.

However, none of this is surprising given recent events and successes of Space X and Unity. I understand that Tax revenue documents were already drafted months ago so no one will escape that either. We'll simply carry our greed and problems to worlds beyond and scientific explorations will take a second seat...eventually, Ha! 

I'm sure that he's got big tariffs in mind just in case any other country tries to "cut his grass". But Vlad will probably get tariff-free status (negotiated pre election) and Kim will get reduced tariffs. China, Canada and E U will pay through the nose.

Imagine the hotel marquis, "Trump Moon".

"It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space,"

 

Great, the militarization of space.  This is bound to engender understanding and cooperation among countries.  Likely the right organizational decision vs Airforce.  Start buying stock in those space contractors.

18 minutes ago, TKDfella said:

We'll simply carry our greed and problems to worlds beyond and scientific explorations will take a second seat...eventually, Ha!

Do you have a white cat?.

Trump needs a new space agency to chase other worldly conspiracy theories.

One assumes this new branch will be responsible for Space Parade?

2 hours ago, Emster23 said:

Given Trumps vast and deep lack of knowledge regarding science, history, government, American values, truth.... you name it.... he would be at top of list of space cadets

He would be rejected due to his bone spurs.

I reckon he's been watching re-runs of Starship Troopers.

Edited June 19, 20188 yr by overherebc

 Maybe he's not so stupid, from another article:

 

"NASA estimates that the total value of asteroids out there could be up to $700 quintillion – equivalent to £75 billion each for us here on Earth."

 

We laugh, but then we laughed at cryptocurrencies. 

 

He is going to promote Capt. Picard to admiral and put him in charge.

George Lucas will become the SPACE FORCE cabinet secretary because of "all the good things he did."

 

Is this just a goofy idea, or something put in his simple-minded ear by the arms and aerospace lobbyists?

 

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

"Thankfully, the president can't do it without Congress because now is NOT the time to rip the Air Force apart.

With a Trillion dollars added to the national debt from the tax cuts and possibly $25 billion more for Trump's border wall, now is NOT the time to add tens of billions more to create a new government military department.

This is an effort to capture close orbiting astroids and rocks that have trillions worth of rare stones. The next frontier is the space as man kind is using more and more rare stones for daily purposes. This commodity will dictate who runs the world.

China and Russia are  Doing it, Why Not, get some Ice breakers , also , USA has one and Ruskys have 40, get it together 

Trump has confused asteroids with haemorrhoids, and thinks he's sitting on a gold mine.

 

 

Funny how Trump can sign into being a multi multi billion dollar space program with an executive order, yet says that he cannot stop children being taken from their parents because it needs Democrats to do it.

 

Trump takes over Space Command! From now on please show some respect and refer to Trump by his proper title - The Dark Helmet!

 

https://youtu.be/jTJq8co38Pk

 

 

Edited June 19, 20188 yr by Andaman Al

2 hours ago, mike324 said:

This is an effort to capture close orbiting astroids and rocks that have trillions worth of rare stones. The next frontier is the space as man kind is using more and more rare stones for daily purposes. This commodity will dictate who runs the world.

The 'wild, wild West' all over again eh?

 

 

We must dominate space!