US President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the Pentagon to create a new US " space force ," which he said would become the sixth branch of the American military."I'm hereby directing the DOD (Department of Defense) and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces," Trump said at the start of a meeting of the National Space Council "That's a big statement. We are going to have the Air Force, and we are going to have the space force, separate but equal." </s> President Donald Trump announced Monday that he has ordered the creation of a new military branch, adding the "Space Force" to the Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

"It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space, we must have American dominance in space. Very importantly I'm hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces, that is a big statement," Trump said at a meeting of the National Space Council on Monday. "We are going to have the Air Force and we are going to have the space force, separate but equal, it is going to be something."

NEW: Pres. Trump says he is directing the Department of Defense and the Pentagon to "establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces." "We must have an American dominance in space." https://t.co/dMeVjlPoyT pic.twitter.com/a59t6cFHWv — Evan McMurry (@evanmcmurry) June 18, 2018

This is a developing story. Please refresh for updates. </s> President Donald Trump declared Monday he will move to make a new branch of the military focused solely on space.

"I am hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces," Trump said during a meeting of the National Space Council.

"Our destiny beyond the Earth is not only a matter of national identity but a matter of national security," Trump said.

"Our Policy Board will begin working on this issue, which has implications for intelligence operations for the Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement. "Working with Congress, this will be a deliberate process with a great deal of input from multiple stakeholders." </s> President Donald Trump declared Monday he would move to make a new branch of the military focused solely on space.

"I am hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces," Trump said during a meeting of the National Space Council.

"Our destiny beyond the Earth is not only a matter of national identity but a matter of national security," Trump said.

He first floated the idea of a space force as a part of his national security strategy during a speech on March 13, saying "space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air, and sea,"

This is breaking news. Please check back for updates. </s> With this migration will come new challenges, including military ones. Since it is very unlikely nations going to space will put their centuries-old rivalries aside, the creation of armed forces capable of tackling space-based military challenges is a must.In the U.S., talk of a so-called space force has been around for some time now. Last June, the House Armed Services Committee’s proposal for the creation of a space corps, part of the Air Force, was not taken seriously enough to be included in the National Defense Authorization Act.Or perhaps it was, but it needed more scrutiny for better understanding before getting a green light from the man himself.Speaking at a National Space Council on Monday, U.S. president Donald Trump said the country would not let Russia and China lead America in this new race. To stop that from happening, Trump said he ordered the Pentagon to “begin the process of establishing a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces.""Our Policy Board will begin working on this issue, which has implications for intelligence operations for the Air Force, Army, Marines, and Navy," Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said in a statement cited by CNBC "Working with Congress, this will be a deliberate process with a great deal of input from multiple stakeholders."For the moment, there is no information on how exactly the space force would be structured.The addition of a new branch to the U.S. military marks the first time in over 70 years when such an event takes place. The most recent part of to the armed forces roster was the Air Force. Despite being founded in 1907, it became a self-sustaining branch only in 1947. </s> President Donald Trump declared Monday he would move to make a new branch of the military focused solely on space.

"I am hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces," Trump said during a meeting of the National Space Council.

"Our destiny beyond the Earth is not only a matter of national identity but a matter of national security," Trump said.

He first floated the idea of a Space Force as a part of his national security strategy during a speech on March 13, saying "space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air, and sea." The president described then how he'd originally coined the term as a joke, while discussing U.S. government spending and private investment in space.

"We have the Air Force, we'll have the space force," Trump said in March.

As it turns out, the Space Force sounds a lot like the space corps legislation the Trump administration opposed last year.

In June, the House Armed Services Committee proposed the establishment of a space corps, a new branch of the U.S. military that would fall under the command of the Air Force, in the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA. This latest military service would relate to the Air Force similar to how the Marine Corps serves the Department of the Navy. The space corps would have an area of responsibility that encompasses the vast expanse outside of the Earth's atmosphere.

At the time, the White House, the Air Force as well as Secretary of Defense James Mattis disapproved of the idea to create a sixth branch of the military.

"I oppose the creation of a new military service and additional organizational layers at a time when we are focused on reducing overhead and integrating joint warfighting efforts," Mattis wrote in a letter to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.

While the legislation passed the House, the space corps bid did not make it into the final NDAA bill in November. </s> President Donald Trump announced plans for the creation of a separate “Space Force” branch of the military on Monday, despite America’s years-long reliance on Russia to send astronauts into orbit.

“We must have American dominance in space,” Trump said at a meeting of the National Space Council. “Very importantly, I am hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a Space Force as the Sixth Branch of the Armed Forces. That’s a big statement.”

Trump stressed the new Space Force would be “separate but equal” from the Air Force, which currently deals with military issues outside of the earth’s atmosphere while NASA is in charge of civilian projects.

“It is going to be something,” Trump said.

Since the end of the shuttle program in 2011, NASA has contracted with the Russian space program to take astronauts on missions to the International Space Station. The U.S. currently has no vessels in service that are able to carry humans into space.

The latest U.S. astronaut to take a Russian Soyuz capsule to the Space Station is Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor, who flew on the Soyuz MS-09 on June 6.

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a former astronaut himself, was skeptical the idea could get off the ground.

“The president told a U.S. general to create a new Space Force as [the] sixth branch of military today, which generals tell me they don’t want,” Nelson said on Twitter. “Thankfully the president can’t do it without Congress because now is NOT the time to rip the Air Force apart. Too many important missions at stake.”

The Air Force had no immediate comment.

In May, following an offhand comment by Trump about the possible creation of a Space Force, Sean O’Keefe, NASA administrator and Navy secretary under President George W. Bush, said Trump's own defense secretary and Air Force secretary argued vociferously against it when members of Congress pushed it last year.

According to the Associated Press, O’Keefe said some people may argue that a space force would “compromise the sanctity of considering space to be off limits from warfare.” </s> President Donald Trump announced Monday that he has ordered the creation of a new military branch, adding the "Space Force" to the Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, and Coast Guard.

"It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space, we must have American dominance in space. Very importantly I'm hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces, that is a big statement," Trump said at a meeting of the National Space Council on Monday. "We are going to have the Air Force and we are going to have the space force, separate but equal, it is going to be something."

Trump has previously said that he included a Space Force as part of his national space strategy but also said in March that he not really serious about the idea.
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Military officials, including Defense Secretary James Mattis, have pushed back on the idea the military should have a separate space force.

The Space Corps – as it's been called – was in the House's version of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act but later dropped in conference.

In a letter last summer to Rep. Mike Turner, R-Ohio, who spearheaded the congressional effort against the Space Corps, Secretary of Defense James Mattis said he was opposed to the idea.

"At a time when we are trying to integrate the department's joint warfighting functions, I do not wish to add a separate service that would likely present a narrower and even parochial approach to space operations," Mattis wrote.

Testifying in March before the House Armed Services Committee, the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy also pushed back on the creation of a separate Space Corps.

"Space is a different kind of domain than air," Doug Loverro told members of Congress during a hearing on space warfighting readiness. "We don't need to move it out of the Air Force in order to go ahead and create the space-smart civilian and military force that we need." </s> (CNN) — President Donald Trump ordered the creation of “Space Command” on Tuesday, a move the administration is labeling a precursor to creating a US Space Force.

“I direct the establishment, consistent with United States law, of United States Space Command as a functional Unified Combatant Command,” Trump said in an executive memorandum to Secretary of Defense James Mattis. “I also direct the Secretary of Defense to recommend officers for my nomination and Senate confirmation as Commander and Deputy Commander of the new United States Space Command.”

Two defense officials told CNN that the Pentagon is nearing completion of a draft proposal for a Space Force that would sit under the Air Force, but have many of the trappings of a separate service, resembling the Marine Corps’ relationship to the Department of the Navy.

The new command is the 11th combatant command and will have control of military space operations.

Vice President Mike Pence, speaking at Cape Canaveral Tuesday, said the new space command “won’t end there.”

Pence said “in the days ahead, President Trump will also sign a new space policy directive that will lay out our plans and our timeline to create the new sixth branch of the armed forces, the US Space Force.”

“We’re working as we speak with leaders in both parties in Congress to stand up the United States Space Force before the end of 2020,” Pence said. The vice president said the military will use the foundation provided by the Air Force, which has been “a magnificent steward of our military space capabilities” and build on that with “space professionals from every branch.”

“While we’re taking these actions to ensure our nation’s security, and our future, we’ll be following the very best traditions of the past,” Pence said.

The new Space Command will be only the 11th combined combatant command, joining the ranks of Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, and Special Operations Command, which oversees elite troops known as Special Operations Forces.

Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Paul Selva are expected to brief key members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees and Defense appropriations subcommittees, according to a defense official familiar with the announcement.

The White House announcement said Mattis will provide Trump with nominations for the commander and deputy commander of Space Command and that the new command “will strengthen” space operations while also helping to “streamline command and control of time-sensitive operations” and “consolidate space operations under a single authority.”

A Pentagon report released in August said the new command will “improve and evolve space warfighting,” focusing on doctrine, tactics, techniques and procedures, making it akin to Special Operations Command, which provides a similar function for US Special Operations Forces, such as US Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces.

“This new command structure for the physical domain of space, led by a four-star flag officer, will establish unified command and control for our Space Force operations, ensure integration across the military, and develop the space warfighting doctrine, tactics, techniques, and procedures of the future,” Pence said during a visit to the Pentagon in August.

Officials told CNN that Mattis will send a letter to House and Senate Armed Services Committee asking them to repeal a provision in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act which establishes Space Command as a sub-unified command underneath Strategic Command. Trump’s direction will skip this step, elevating it to the same level as Strategic Command.
US President Donald Trump directs the Department of Defense to begin the process of establishing a "space force" as the sixth military branch of the United States Armed Forces.