Скачать или смотреть News Alert: President Trump Proposes a Military Space Force

President Trump is not the first politician to propose a new military branch for space. The House Armed Services Committee, led by Republican Rep. Mike Rogers and Democrat Rep. Jim Cooper, introduced legislation in 2017 to create a new military branch called the "Space Corps" to serve under the Department of the Air Force, similar to the Marine Corps that serves as part of the Department of the Navy. The committee argued that the Air Force had been neglecting space defenses, and that space leaders within the Air Force did not have the authority or funding they needed to effectively prepare for defense in space.

The Space Corps legislation, which passed in the House version of the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, was ultimately killed by the Senate. Congress opted to instead restructure space commands within the Air Force. As a result of the NDAA, multiple space units within the Air Force were eliminated, consolidating authority within Air Force Space Command. Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson was also stripped of her role as primary space advisor to Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, and Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan was given the responsibility of overseeing budget and acquisition priorities for space defense.