This proposal comes at a time when the United States and China seem to be at a tariff war

During the National Space Council, Donald Trump gave direct orders to the Pentagon to immediately establish an American “space force.” If the motion is implemented, it would become the sixth branch of the United States’ armed forces. “We are going to have a space force,” Trump stated in Washington D.C. on Monday. “I’m hereby directing the Department of Defense to immediately begin the process to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces.”

The statement has received support from various members of Congress, such as Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Alabama, and Rep. William Thornberry, R-Texas, as well as experts from NASA, including the head of the institution.

Strengthening American Leadership 

NASA Administrator Jim publicly declared that Trump’s directive “guidelines and initiatives to ensure that America a leader in a safe and secure environment as traffic increases. Common sense space situational awareness and traffic management will be good for our economy and will help provide a more stable environment for the burgeoning space economy,” as stated by ABC News. 

Bridenstine’s statement seems to complement that of Rogers who during an event at the Center for Strategic and International Studies affirmed: “The situation we are in as a nation, the vulnerabilities we have to China and Russia…I’d like for the American public to know more… I can’t because I don’t want to go to jail for leaking classified info. But we are in a really bad situation.”

This proposal comes at a time when the United States and China seem to be at a tariff war. On June 15, Trump announced a tax of 25% on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods. American officials have stated that this is a punishment towards the Asian giant because it has been accused of stealing American technology and trade secret, as reported by CNN. 

Just a Stray Thought?

While to some this might come as a surprise, this concept was proposed last June at the House Armed Services Committee, in the National Defense Authorization Act. The “space corps” would fall under command of the Air Force and would responsible for the peace and wellbeing of all matters outside of the Earth’s atmosphere. This motion was also backed up by Rep. Mike Rogers and Rep. William Thornberry. 

Mid last year, the Air Force, the Secretary of Defense James Mattis, and the White House disapproved of the motion due to lack of funding and a noticeable increment in government spending. 

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein affirm that there is no need for said implementation. They assert that Air Force has the means and staff to meet all current requirements for space, as explained by CNBC. 

Latin American Post | Susana Cicchetto 

Copy edited by Laura Rocha Rueda