United States Officially Launches ‘Space Force’ as Part of Its Armed Forces

The National Defense Authorization Act 2020 is officially signed by US President Donald Trump recently thereby officially authorizing the establishment of the ‘Space Force’, which is going to become the sixth branch of its armed forces.

The Space Force would become the youngest US military branch of its armed forces and the first new service since the establishment of the US Air Force back in 1947.

President Donald Trump also tweeted, “Last night I was so proud to have signed the largest Defense Bill ever. The very vital Space Force was thus created. New planes, missiles, rockets, ships and equipments of every kind and all are made in the USA. Additionally, we got Border Wall being built. Nice!”.

According to John Raymond, who is the commander of US Space Command and Air Force Space Command, as many as 16,000 active duty-bound airmen and civilians, who are currently in the Air Force Space Command will be soon assigned to the newly formed Space Force.

He also said, “the personnel will not actually become the members of the Space Force and will remain in the Air Force for the time being”.

The Space Force would be the part of the Department of the Air Force, US Armed forces. The new military service is the first in more than 70 years, which falls under the US Air Force.

During a recent visit to an army base near Washington, President Donald Trump has clearly described space as “the world's newest war-fighting domain. Amid threats to our national security, American superiority in space is absolutely vital. We are leading, but we are not leading by enough, but very shortly we will be leading by a lot. The Space Force will help us deter aggression and control the ultimate high ground.” 

Let us clearly understand what exactly the Space Force will actually do. The space force is not intended to put troops into the orbit but will protect the assets of the country, such as the hundreds of satellites used for communication and surveillance. The decision also comes at a time when the US military chiefs see Russia and China are making advancements in the military final frontier.

Vice-President Mike Pence has also agreed that the two nations had airborne lasers and anti-satellite missiles that the US needed to counter. Pence also said, “The space environment has fundamentally changed. What was once peaceful and uncontested is now crowded and adversarial”.

Now, the funding allocation for the new forces was also confirmed when the President signed the $738bn annual US military budget. An initial $40 million will fund the launch and working of the special Force in its first year.