There’s no denying that, should we manage not to blow ourselves up with the thousands of nukes at our disposal, the next natural step for the human species would be the migration to space and other planets.
With this migration will come new challenges, including military ones. Since it is very unlikely nations going to space will put their centuries-old rivalries aside, the creation of armed forces capable of tackling space-based military challenges is a must.
In the U.S., talk of a so-called space force has been around for some time now. Last June, the House Armed Services Committee’s proposal for the creation of a space corps, part of the Air Force, was not taken seriously enough to be included in the National Defense Authorization Act.
Or perhaps it was, but it needed more scrutiny for better understanding before getting a green light from the man himself.
Speaking at a National Space Council on Monday, U.S. president Donald Trump said the country would not let Russia and China lead America in this new race. To stop that from happening, Trump said he ordered the Pentagon to “begin the process of establishing a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces."
"Our Policy Board will begin working on this issue, which has implications for intelligence operations for the Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement cited by CNBC.
"Working with Congress, this will be a deliberate process with a great deal of input from multiple stakeholders."
For the moment, there is no information on how exactly the space force would be structured.
The addition of a new branch to the U.S. military marks the first time in over 70 years when such an event takes place. The most recent part of to the armed forces roster was the Air Force. Despite being founded in 1907, it became a self-sustaining branch only in 1947.
In the U.S., talk of a so-called space force has been around for some time now. Last June, the House Armed Services Committee’s proposal for the creation of a space corps, part of the Air Force, was not taken seriously enough to be included in the National Defense Authorization Act.
Or perhaps it was, but it needed more scrutiny for better understanding before getting a green light from the man himself.
Speaking at a National Space Council on Monday, U.S. president Donald Trump said the country would not let Russia and China lead America in this new race. To stop that from happening, Trump said he ordered the Pentagon to “begin the process of establishing a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces."
"Our Policy Board will begin working on this issue, which has implications for intelligence operations for the Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement cited by CNBC.
"Working with Congress, this will be a deliberate process with a great deal of input from multiple stakeholders."
For the moment, there is no information on how exactly the space force would be structured.
The addition of a new branch to the U.S. military marks the first time in over 70 years when such an event takes place. The most recent part of to the armed forces roster was the Air Force. Despite being founded in 1907, it became a self-sustaining branch only in 1947.