The Pentagon Proposes 4 Options for the Creation of a Space Force
The Pentagon believes the proposal of a Space Force as a sixth branch of military, may not pass in Congress. Thus, the Pentagon is thinking about downsizing the organization into a division of another established armed service, namely the Air Force, as reported by DefenseOne. The setup would be similar to the Department of the Navy, which controls both the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
DefenseOne reports there are four options to be considered:
- A Space Force under the Department of the Air Force that takes only Air Force space assets.
- A Space Force under the Department of the Air Force that takes Air Force, Army, and Navy space assets.
- An independent service that takes from the other three armed services.
- An independent service that takes from the three other armed services and the U.S. intelligence community.
The U.S. intelligence community controls the majority of U.S. spy satellites, especially the National Reconnaissance Office.
The Pentagon’s technique for obtaining a decision from the higher ups is to present the superiors with one option they’ll never choose, the one option they want, and one option they can live with.
Out of the four options, the Trump Administration favors the third option, a consolidation of all armed services space operations under a single service. They are okay to live with option number two, while the first option is unlikely to garner any support since it doesn’t go far enough. The fourth option will likely face opposition from those who wouldn’t want the Space Force to take away assets from the larger U.S. intelligence community.
Senate Republicans are presenting unexpected opposition to the Space Force in Congress, because they see it as unnecessary. Many senators, including members of the powerful Armed Services committee, are against the creation of a new service. Even Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis is reportedly opposed to the idea. Mattis fears that a new service could evolve a narrower and even intolerant approach toward space operations. All of the armed services use space to some extent, namely when it comes to GPS navigation and communications. Mattis’ concern seems to be that the Space Force could lose sight of the mission of supporting forces here on Earth.
What’s more, the Center for Strategic and International Studies has said that an independent Space Force would cost between $11.3 and $21.5 billion per year, with 96% of that coming from existing spending in the other armed services folded into the new Space Force.
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/a25350131/space-force-part-of-air-force/
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Source: Asgardia Space News
