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Pence unveils plan to create Space Force by 2020
Vice President Mike Pence announced the Pentagon's detailed plan for President Donald Trump's vision of a Space Force on Thursday, which would establish the first military branch in over 70 years.
[...] Pence on Thursday stressed that the new branch would be built, in part, from pre-existing elements. "The Space Force will not be built from scratch," Pence said during a speech before members of the Pentagon. "This is a critical step toward's establishing the Space Force as the sixth branch of our armed forces."
Here are the four components to the Department of Defense establishing a Space Force:
First, DoD will establish a Space Development Agency to develop and field space capabilities at speed and scale. The Air Force has already begun to transform its Space and Missile Center (SMC). The Department will accelerate and extend this transformation to all services by creating a joint Space Development Agency.
Second, the Department will develop the Space Operations Force to support the Combatant Commands. These joint space warfighters will provide space expertise to combatant commanders and the Space Development Agency, and surge expertise in time of crisis to ensure that space capabilities are leveraged effectively in conflict.
Third, the Department will create the governance, services, and support functions of the Space Force. Many of these will require changes to U.S. law. The Department will build a legislative proposal for Congressional consideration as a part of the Fiscal Year 2020 budget cycle.
Fourth, the Department will create a U.S. Space Command, led by a four star general or flag officer, to lead the use of space assets in warfighting and accelerate integration of space capabilities into other warfighting forces. U.S. Space Command will be responsible for directing the employment of the Space Force.
Will Space Development Agency research trickle down to NASA?
Previously: The United States Space Corps Wants You...
Congressional Panel Puts Plans for a US Space Corps in 2018 Defense Budget
The Case for a U.S. Space Force
President Trump Orders the Creation of a United States Space Force
(Score: 5, Interesting) by jelizondo on Friday August 10 2018, @05:34AM (6 children)
Well, another international treaty down the tubes. The US ratified in 1967 the “Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies” [un.org] which expressly forbids the militarization of Space.
Article IV is very clear:
If treaties keep getting broken unilaterally for no reason, no one will trust the U.S. What is the perceived need to militarize space? Against who is such a move? Or are we just being dickheads?
Now what is going to stop China, Russia or India from militarizing space as well? How can the U.S. demand from Iran and North Korea to dismantle nuclear weapons forbidden under international treaties while breaking such treaties?
I’m old and frankly, don’t give a damn about myself but I worry for my children and grandchildren.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday August 10 2018, @06:38AM
Everything the Space Force would do is already being done by the Air Force Space Command. Give General John W. Raymond [wikipedia.org] a call, maybe he'll tell you about it. If the plan to create a Space Force fizzles, the Air Force will continue doing it instead. And "it" probably means development of satellite defenses, redundant/resilient satellites, or ways to take out or capture satellites.
Space Force needed to thwart Russian, Chinese anti-satellite laser weapons: Pentagon [globalnews.ca]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 4, Informative) by MichaelDavidCrawford on Friday August 10 2018, @06:58AM (1 child)
"no one trusts the US anymore"
FTFY
Yes I Have No Bananas. [gofundme.com]
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 10 2018, @10:36AM
We don't even trust ourselves anymore.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday August 10 2018, @02:01PM
May I draw your attention to bolded text:
As you see, by specifically singling out "nuclear weapons" and "any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction", the treaty implicitly allows other, smaller arms to be installed and used in space, except (second paragraph) on Moon and other celestial bodies, where total ban on militarization has been agreed on.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday August 10 2018, @02:20PM
That particular treaty was never worth the paper it was printed on. Every nation or state on earth knew that at the first opportunity, it would wipe it's figurative arse with that treaty. Anyone who ever took it seriously was deluding himself.
We're gonna be able to vacation in Gaza, Cuba, Venezuela, Iran and maybe Minnesota soon. Incredible times.
(Score: 2) by corey on Saturday August 11 2018, @02:39AM
They already have or are planning to. Russia and China have all but ignored that treaty. The US is doing this as a response to their moves. The US is playing catch up in a lot of areas right now, including hypersonics, EW, lasers, quantum cryptography etc. Adversaries already have lasers and missiles to take down satellites. This space force is establishing posture and resources for future scenarios. Not needed now but what about in ten years.