On February 19, President Trump of the United States signed a directive requiring the United States Department of Defense to draft a law on the establishment of a space force, laying the framework for the establishment of a space force. Some analysts pointed out that Trump had repeatedly expressed his intention to build a new space force as the sixth largest service of the US military. In the face of domestic opposition, the final space force plan may shrink in status and personnel funding.
According to the news released by the White House, Trump signed the directive "Space Policy Directive-4", which is "a bold and strategic step for the United States to lead space". The directive shows that the space force will be established under the leadership of the US Air Force Department first, with three goals: to strengthen the ability of the United States to participate in competition, contain and win in areas of increasing competition; Organize, train and equip space fighters with next-generation combat capabilities; Maximize combat capability on the basis of streamlining the organization. The directive was jointly formulated by the Pentagon, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the White House Office of Legal Counsel and other departments.
Trump has said many times before that he hopes to establish a space force and make it the sixth largest service of the US military independent of the sea, land, air, marine corps and the National Guard. Last June, Trump signed a space policy directive to guide the Ministry of Defense in its preparations for formation. In August last year, Vice President Burns of the United States announced the specific plan of the Department of Defense to establish a space force by 2020. Last December, Trump signed a memorandum requiring the Ministry of Defense to establish a space command, which was regarded as the first step to establish a space force. The newly established Space Command will become the 11th "Joint Operations Command" of the United States.
Although Trump said that the establishment of the space force was intended to maintain space security, the plan still caused differences within the US government. The doubts are mainly reflected in two aspects: first, the cost of establishing a space force alone is too high. According to the prediction of the Ministry of Defense, it may cost 13 billion dollars only in the first five years of its establishment; Second, the establishment of a space force may intensify the space arms competition, which is not conducive to maintaining space security.
In the opinion of analysts, external pressure may eventually force Trump's military building plan to shrink. In the "Space Policy Directive - 4", the Space Force will be subordinate to the Air Force Department, and its relationship with the Air Force is similar to that between the Marine Corps and the Navy. The civilian leader of the space force will be the vice minister of the air force, and the military leader will be a four-star general. Changsha Nahan, the Acting Defense Department of the United States, previously said that the size of the space force should be "as small as possible" and become a part of the Air Force. Shanahan also said that the budget for the space forces in the 2020 fiscal year will be less than $5 billion.
According to US media reports, the final draft of the space military law that Trump asked the Ministry of Defense to draft has actually been completed and may be submitted to the US Congress recently. If Congress finally passes the bill, the process of space force formation may be accelerated. Some countries have expressed concern about the plan of the United States to establish a space force, believing that this may set off an arms race in the space field and threaten the safety of civilian space assets.
