Space Force Discussions Increasingly Blur the Line Between Military and Civilian Space

Space Force Discussions Increasingly Blur the Line Between Military and Civilian Space

Space Force Discussions Increasingly Blur the Line Between Military and Civilian Space





Space Force Discussions Increasingly Blur the Line Between Military and Civilian Space


WASHINGTON - Vice President Mike Pence was recently consulted by Washington Post reporter Robert Costa: "What will the Space Force do?"



	

	In his response, Pence did not reduce a list of tasks that could be assigned to the new military branch. But he did comment widely on why he and the president We strongly feel that a Space Force must be established.

		It all started in the 2016 election campaign, Pence recalled. "The president and I had a conversation about his interests in really reviving the US leadership in space, and particularly in regard to the exploration of human space ... And we both share the concern that while the United States is still dominant in space , in terms of technology "In terms of our achievements, we were losing momentum in recent years; that the United States had essentially been destined to the orbit of the lower Earth, and actually we lined up our own platforms when we landed the shuttle program, "Pence said." The president saw all that as intolerable. "

The[[Presidential visions for space exploration: from Ike to Trump]

		Trump's initial focus was on NASA and the civilian space mission, and on the way, he said, "it became very clear to us that it is absolutely essential that the United States remain so dominant in space, from a national security perspective, as we are on Earth, and that's where the president conceived. The idea of ​​a space force.. " 

		"Does that mean adding weapons to space?" Costa asked, echoing the frequent criticisms that a Space Force would accelerate the militarization of outer space.

		Pence insisted that the exploration of the human space is a civil operation carried out by NASA and "that's what we want it to be". But the president also believes that "making sure that we have security in space to advance in the exploration of human space is the basis of the Space Force."





						


Vice President Mike Pence addresses the National Space Council.

            						    Credit: NASA 


A similar exchange took place on Tuesday during an interview with Politico's Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman. Palmer asked Pence: "What is the argument that you need a new Space Force and that you can no longer do it within existing structures within the government?"



	Pence explained again that the space force it's "part of the president's vision to really revitalize American leadership in space ... and once again lead human exploration." He said Trump believes that by establishing a new military department, "that will guarantee US security in space, even when we take the world farther and faster into the vast beyond."

		From Pence's statements it became clear that the administration considers the Space Force and the return to the Moon as pieces of the biggest puzzle of the US leadership in space. However, this view is not how other proponents of the Space Force have framed the issue.

		A December 2017 report from the Office of Management and Budget entitled "OMB Report on Leadership, Management and Organization of Space Activities of the Department of Defense" defended the consolidation of disparate and scattered authorities in the national security space to ensure The responsability. OMB also argued that an independent service for space was the response to the "conflict of interest" that exists in the Air Force with responsibilities for both air and space programs.

		The themes of the WBO report appear in the rhetoric of Representative Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of Armed Services of the House of Representatives.

		Rogers led a legislative push to defend a Space Corps within the Department of the Air Force and has become an ardent supporter of the idea of ​​Trump's Space Force. But civil spatial concerns were never part of Rogers's reason to split a new military branch. In his first extensive comments on the subject at the 2017 Space Symposium, Rogers called the management of the Air Force space the central problem, and argued that space budgets were shrinking as rival powers increased the development of anti-aircraft weapons. -satélites. The Department of Defense needs an independent voice for space, argued Rogers, and opposed the Air Force secretary's double hatred as the Pentagon's top space advisor. "Does anyone believe there could be a conflict of interest between the space and the other priorities of the Air Force mission?" Rogers asked. "The national security space is competing with other service priorities." Rogers pushed for legislation last year that eliminated the position of space chief advisor to the Air Force secretary.

		Another strong supporter of the Space Force is the former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy Doug Loverro. Like Rogers, he has defended a new service first and foremost because space does not receive adequate attention in the current organization. "When the Chinese downed their own satellite in 2007, they could hear the Air Force leaders and not the Air Force around the Pentagon saying that there was no way to defend space, and that we should move to alternatives without space" said Loverro. he wrote in a SpaceNews article. A key reason why a separate service is needed, he said, is because "space is not part of the identity of the Air Force."



		Different priorities in the civil, military space.

		Neither Rogers nor Loverro have raised concerns about civil space in their arguments in favor of a Space Force. And that's how it should be, says Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and an advocate for a separate service for space.

		"I think it's important for people to remember why we separated the civil and national security space in the first place," Harrison said. SpaceNews "Civil space focuses on science and exploration, it's something we do in partnership with other nations, friends and enemies alike, for the benefit of all, the national security space focuses on protecting our security interests and those of our allies and partners. "

		The Space Force debate, said Harrison, is about "how we should organize, train and equip our national security space forces to more effectively protect our security interests here on Earth." It should not be combined with space exploration or commercial development of space. "

		Loverro told SpaceNews that the vice president speaks on the subject in terms that resonate with the public. By framing the spatial discussion as a return to the glory days of US space exploration, Pence is speaking "in a language that more Americans understand," Loverro said. "They do not understand what the Department of Defense does in space, so the appeal to exploration and commercial efforts puts it in terms that they understand." It is also worth remembering from history that "the army made the seas safe for exploration and commercialization." Even in fiction, such as Star Trek, the military bond with exploration is clear, so it may not be The closest impact of a Space Force is not entirely inconsistent with the historical analysis to link the two. "

		In the interview with Costa, Pence suggested that placing civilian and military space objectives under the broad umbrella of US space leadership makes the message more attractive. "I think that millions of Americans, regardless of their politics, would agree that at some point along the way we lost our vision and our passion for space leadership," he said. "And the president's call for a renewal of our commitment to the exploration of human space, a return to the moon, the reach to Mars, the establishment of a Space Force, I believe is based on the American aspiration that we are in a very real sense. " , a nation of pioneers ... I think the American people are excited to see us do that again. "

		The administration official who would oversee a new military branch, Secretary of Defense James Mattis, said on Tuesday that the Space Force would have defensive and offensive missions. Speaking at the United States Institute of Peace with former national security adviser Stephen Hadley, Mattis said the Space Force would be in charge of protecting military satellites, including those such as GPS that supports the civilian economy. "We have to defend what we have in outer space that is used for navigation, communication, peaceful purposes, trade, banking, all this kind of stuff," said Mattis. "But we'll have to be prepared to use offensive weapons in space if someone decides to militarize them and go on the offensive - you can not just play defensively - no competitive sport in the world can play defensively and win."

		A spokesperson for the National Space Council said in a statement to SpaceNews that the vice president in recent media interviews "has seized the opportunity to convey the breadth of President Trump's space efforts from before the first day of administration until today." These efforts include: increasing space trade and rationalize onerous regulations, exploration efforts to push beyond low Earth orbit and return to the Moon, and guarantee military space superiority by establishing the Space Force. "

		These are "separate lines of effort that are part of the achievement of the goal of the United States leadership administration in space, a priority with which President Trump and Vice President Pence are deeply committed."



	This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to cover all aspects of the space industry.



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