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President Trump signs directive to create Space Force as part of Air Force

Posted at 4:23 PM, Feb 19, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-19 18:25:48-05

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump says “whether we like or not that’s where we’re going… it’s space.. that’s the next step.”

The president made his comments from the Oval Office as he signed a directive, Space Policy Directive-4, to establish the Space Force as part of the Air Force.

The goal of the Space Force, as stated by the president is “to organize, equip and train the next generation of warriors to protect against hostile actions in the form of and in space.”

According to administration officials, this is just the beginning of the process in which Congress will be asked to provide the necessary authority to create a 6th branch of the US Armed Forces with a commander among the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

A proposal with cost details will be included in the 2020 budget being sent to Congress next month. With Democrats now in control of the House of Representatives this is not a done deal by any measure.

When President Trump announced in 2018 he intended to create the Space Force there was vocal opposition from those outside of the armed forces and quite opposition from those in the armed forces about the new branch which on the surface conflicts with the mission of the U.S. Air Force Space Command based here in Colorado Springs.

Trump calls space a “war-fighting domain” which represents a “national security issue.”

He told reporters, “We need to do this for defense. We could say it is for offense, but for now let’s say for the defense of the country” as our adversaries already have assets in space that could be used against our interests.

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Air Force Space Command: Protecting and preserving