President Donald Trump has officially proposed the creation of Space Force.
The Space Force is set to act as the sixth branch of the U.S. military. This would have it working to protect America’s assets in outer space. That includes its satellites and other facilities that will be built in the final frontier.
The forming of the U.S. Space Force is made possible by President Trump giving a direct command to the Pentagon. However, it won’t be that simple. The creation of a new military branch will take time, as well as agreements from Congress.
“My administration is reclaiming America’s heritage as the world’s greatest space-faring nation,” President Trump said in a statement obtained by CBS News. “The essence of the American character is to explore new horizons and to tame new frontiers. But our destiny, beyond the Earth, is not only a matter of national identity, but a matter of national security.”
President Trump’s talk of returning to space comes as the National Space Council, lead by Vice President Mike Pence, looks to set up a new space Gateway around the moon. This would act as a jumping off point for sending astronauts to Mars.
This isn’t the first time that the U.S. has considered adding a Space Force to the military. A similar proposal was made last year, but it was shot down by President Trump’s administration. This would have had the new branch of the military acting under the Air Force.
As of this writing, William White did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
