Trump for formation of new ‘Space Force’

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Monday ordered the Pentagon to create a new US “Space Force”, which would become the sixth branch of the American military and ensure “American dominance” in space.

Trump’s comments came at the start of the third meeting of the National Space Council, an advisory body led by vice president Mike Pence.

“I’m hereby directing the department of defence and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces,” Trump said.

“We are going to have the Air Force, and we are going to have the Space Force, separate but equal,” he added. “When it comes to defending America it is not enough to merely have an American presence in space, we must have American dominance in space.”

Details about the role and time frame of the Space Force were not immediately clear.

The US, however, is a member of the Outer Space Treaty, which bars the stationing of weapons of mass destruction in space and only allows for the use of the moon and other celestial bodies for peaceful purposes.

Trump also announced he would sign a directive on space traffic management, aimed at monitoring objects in orbit so as to avoid collisions and debris strikes. The policy calls for providing a safe and secure environment in orbit, as satellite traffic increases. It also sets up new guidelines for satellite design and operation, to avoid collisions and spacecraft breakups.