*WASHINGTON – United States President Donald Trump on Tuesday ordered thecreation of “Space Command,” a new organizational structure within thePentagon that will have overall control of military space operations.*
The command will be separate from Trump’s goal to build an entirely newbranch of the military called “Space Force” — but could be a step in thatdirection.
“I direct the establishment, consistent with United States law, of UnitedStates Space Command as a functional Unified Combatant Command,” Trump saidin a memo to Defense Secretary Defense Jim Mattis.
Speaking at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida’s Cape Canaveral, VicePresident Mike Pence said the new US Space Command will integrate spacecapabilities across all branches of the military.
“It will develop the space doctrine, tactics, techniques and proceduresthat will enable our war fighters to defend our nation in this new era,”Pence said.
SpaceCom, as it will inevitably come to be known, will be the Pentagon’s11th combatant command, along with other well-known commands includingCentral Command and Europe Command.
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Trump in June said he wanted to create a “Space Force,” which would be anentirely new branch of the military alongside the Navy, Marine Corps, Armyand Air Force.
He insists such a move is necessary to tackle vulnerabilities in space andassert US dominance in orbit.
But its creation is not a done deal, as it needs to be approved byCongress, and the concept has met with some skepticism from lawmakers anddefense officials wary of the cost and added bureaucracy.
The creation of a new Space Force would also set off a turf war within thePentagon, particularly with the Air Force, which currently is responsiblefor most space operations. – APP/AFP
