Pence outlines why ‘space force’ is needed

WASHINGTON — Calling outer space the “next battlefield,” Vice President Mike Pence outlined a bellicose mission Thursday for the Trump administration’s proposed “space force,” saying it would fight adversaries and spread American values beyond Earth.

His remarks at the Pentagon, applauded by an audience that included Defense Secretary James N. Mattis and top military commanders, represented a sharp break from decades of highlevel U.S. calls for the peaceful development of outer space for all nations.

Pence said Russia, China and other U.S. adversaries were building anti-satellite and other weapons aimed at degrading the U.S. military’s space dominance. It marked the first detailed justification by a top U.S. official for President Donald Trump’s call for a sixth military service to focus on war fighting in space.

“Now the time has come to write the next great chapter in the history of our armed forces, to prepare for the next battlefield where America’s best and bravest will be called to deter and defeat a new generation of threats to our people, to our nation,” Pence said.

He said the space force also would “carry American ideals into the boundless expanse of space,” promoting “freedom, private property and the rule of law.”

The soaring, even messian- ic, rhetoric was aimed at overcoming lukewarm support for a space force in Congress, which must approve its creation, and at the Pentagon. The Air Force, in particular, worries the proposed new service will shrink its budget and importance, and it has powerful defenders in Congress.

One factor driving the White House’s focus on a space force is the idea’s popularity among Trump’s supporters when he touts it at political rallies. After Pence spoke, the president tweeted, “Space Force all the way!”

Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign also emailed supporters and asked for feedback on six potential logos with red, blue and pink-hued designs for the space force. “As a way to celebrate President Trump’s huge announcement, our campaign will be selling a new line of gear,” the email said.

Only Congress has the power to create a new branch of the military. The House and Senate will not take up the issue until next year, when Pence said the administration would forward a proposal to create the space force as a separate service.