Senators on Trump Space Force plan: Not so fast

[turbinetree]

Source: Associated Press

By ROBERT BURNS 11 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration’s proposal for creating a Space Force as a new military service drew bipartisan skepticism in the Senate on Thursday, with several lawmakers questioning the need for expanding the military bureaucracy.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan pitched the proposal as vital to maintaining what he called America’s “margin of dominance” in space as potential adversaries like Russia and China develop the capability to challenge U.S. use of space.

“Both China and Russia have weaponized space with the intent to hold American capabilities at risk,” Shanahan told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Every member of this committee has access to the classified threat picture, but the bottom line is: the next major conflict may be won or lost in space.”

Committee members agreed that the U.S. needs to innovate in space and move more quickly to improve defenses of U.S. satellites and other interests in space. But several members, both Republicans and Democrats, expressed skepticism about a Space Force, which is a high priority of President Donald Trump.

Read more: https://www.apnews.com/5a6e1a08acb745a69976e3110b4789b4

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Let me see here..............we have 5 branches of the military, and these yahoo's want to add another, so that the 768 billion that they want now, is not enough for the five, so that they can turn around later and ask for more because, now they have or want six....................I want my Social Security payment to go up, and I want Medicare for everyone-------------------we already have a space force, just go out to NORRAD at Cheyenne Mountain...........................

[machoneman]

1. Give it billions, skim off 5 billion for the Wall.

What does he think we're all dumb like him?

[LiberalLovinLug]

2. Take the money away from fighting climate change and put it into a Space Force

Do nothing to help save the planet environmentally, so we have a big fleet of Space cadets floating above watching the destruction of the Earth instead. After a while there will be nothing to defend.

[Historic NY]

3. THE US Air Force already has a designated space unit...call Space Command

[link:https://www.afspc.af.mil/|]


[link:https://www.afspc.af.mil/About-Us/AFSPC-History/|]

[Maxheader]

4. "Both China and Russia have weaponized space"

So have we dumb s^*t...Last thing we need to do is get into a competition launching military
sats...with missiles and defensive/offensive laser components..

[Sapient Donkey]

5. I can't believe this Space Force nonsense is still being discussed.

I thought we moved past this when they made the more rational move of reestablishing the US Space Command earlier this year.

[sdfernando]

6. They don't use the Cheyenne mountain except as a training facility now.

From Wikipedia:

Since 2002, the complex has been classed as Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station and has been used in crew qualification training, while the former command function has been redesignated as the "NORAD and USNORTHCOM Alternate Command Center" since 2008 after all the original functions of the complex were removed to Peterson Air Force Base.[62] The complex is maintained by the 21st Mission Support Group which provides support and maintenance for the 'NORAD/USNORTHCOM's training, exercise and alternate command center functions, U.S. Strategic Command's Missile Warning Center, Detachment 2 of the 17th Test Squadron, Air Force Technical Applications Center's research laboratory, the Defense Intelligence Agency's Western Continental United States Regional Service Center'.[63] At its peak the Cheyenne complex had 1,800–2,000 personnel; only 210 remain and the site's satellite dishes and antenna masts are now owned and used by commercial communication businesses.