SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
US lawmakers have drafted legislation proposing the formation of a new branch of the military called the Space Corps. This new space-orientated military service would join the five other branches of the United States Armed Forces and is intended to manage national security in space.
Last week, the House Armed Service Committee, led by Republican Chairman Mike Rogers and Ranking Member Democrat Jim Cooper, introduced the new legislation claiming that the current national security space systems in the United States are not capable of protecting the country's space assets.
"Not only are there developments by adversaries," says Mr Rogers and Mr Cooper in the committee release, "but we are imposing upon the national security space enterprise a crippling organizational and management structure and an acquisition system that has led to delays and cost-overruns."
Although the proposal establishes the US Space Corps as its own separate military service, it would still be operated from within the Department of the Air Force, in much the same way the US Marine Corps operates from within the Department of the Navy.
Will the space lasers make a 'pew, pew!' sound?
Also: Congressman Proposes A Military 'Space Corps'
As a point of discussion, how does this proposal fit in with the Outer Space Treaty of 1967? Wikipedia summarizes:
The Outer Space Treaty represents the basic legal framework of international space law. Among its principles, it bars states party to the treaty from placing weapons of mass destruction in orbit of Earth, installing them on the Moon or any other celestial body, or otherwise stationing them in outer space. It exclusively limits the use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes and expressly prohibits their use for testing weapons of any kind, conducting military maneuvers, or establishing military bases, installations, and fortifications (Article IV). However, the Treaty does not prohibit the placement of conventional weapons in orbit and thus some highly destructive attack strategies such as kinetic bombardment are still potentially allowable. The treaty also states that the exploration of outer space shall be done to benefit all countries and that space shall be free for exploration and use by all the States.
The full text of the treaty is available at NASA.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by RamiK on Thursday June 29 2017, @01:29PM (3 children)
Actually, most British and ex-British colonies', as well as other forces have a separate logistics corps\branch:
Canada: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistics_Branch [wikipedia.org]
England: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Logistic_Corps [wikipedia.org]
Australia: Strategic Logistics Branch
India: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Army_Service_Corps [wikipedia.org]
Israel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistics_Corps [wikipedia.org]
China(PRC): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logistic_Support_Department_of_the_Central_Military_Commission [wikipedia.org] (before 2016: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Liberation_Army_General_Logistics_Department) [wikipedia.org]
I think it's the same for France and Russia but haven't looked to hard. Often enough, these organs are administrative branches as well and are responsible for issuing salaries, handling procurements and keeping inventories. Each military distribute authorities differently. But, at the very least, roll calls are supervised by a separate officer that's stationed at the base so a field commander won't refuse sending injured man back to hospitals* or report casualties as still alive to keep receiving rations. Naturally, this extends to vehicles, fuel and parts which is why many armies combine those two functions into one branch.
compiling...
(Score: 2) by tibman on Thursday June 29 2017, @02:30PM
The US Army has the logistics branch. AKA the wheel of shame.
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 3, Informative) by EvilSS on Thursday June 29 2017, @03:12PM (1 child)
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday June 29 2017, @07:49PM
USTRANSCOM coordinates requests that go through the DoD but there's no direct chain of command to the actual forces. That's is, if a USTRANSCOM officer says "take a right" to an Army truck driver while his direct officer tells him to "take a left", he takes a left.