On March 13, 2018, during a speech to military personnel at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, President Trump first teased the idea of a U.S. Space Force—a new, sixth military branch separate from the Air Force: “I said, ‘Maybe we need a new force, we’ll call it the Space Force.’ And I was not really serious. And then I said, ‘What a great idea, maybe we’ll have to do that.’”
Trump cited growing threats in space and the need for American dominance over what could be the setting for future warfare. However, the President’s views were met with resistance from lawmakers and Pentagon staff, including the former head of the U.S. Strategic Command Gen. Robert Kehler, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson, and even Trump’s Secretary of Defense James Mattis. Mattis originally declared his opposition to the creation of a space force in a letter to the Senate Committee on Armed Services during 2018 DOD budget negotiations.
Still, Trump persisted. On June 18, 2018, the Commander-in-Chief flexed his executive muscle, directing the Pentagon to establish an outline for the Space Force. Two months later, on August 9, 2018, Vice President Mike Pence unveiled the Pentagon’s detailed plan for President Trump’s vision, including the establishment of a four-star general-led U.S. Space Command by the end of 2018 and a fully operational Space Force by 2020.
In a tweet dated August 9, 2018, President Trump supported the announcement by saying, “Space Force all the way!” Even Secretary of Defense James Mattis walked back his previous comments, stating that DOD has had over a year to define and move forward with Trump’s proposal.
Space Force all the way!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 9, 2018
Despite the forward momentum, critics still believe the move would be a costly distraction that could weaken the military in the long run. In a recent Air Force memo, Secretary Heather Wilson stated that implementing the Space Force would cost $3.3 billion in its first year and $12.9 billion over the next five years. The memo also states that the new military branch would result in a Defense Department reorganization, specifically the current mission of the Air Force.
Because of budget concerns, pushback, and the fact that a congressional vote would be needed to authorize a new military branch, the future of the United States Space Force remains yet to be seen—only time will tell if the President’s vision will become a reality.
