Donald Trump orders creation of army specialized in space

"It's not enough to have a simple American presence in space, there must be American domination in space," said the US president before a meeting of the National Space Council.


Reuters | Updated: 19-06-2018 10:23 IST | Created: 19-06-2018 10:23 IST
Donald Trump orders creation of army specialized in space
"It's not enough to have a simple American presence in space, there must be American domination in space," said the US president before a meeting of the National Space Council. (Image Credit: Reuters)
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Donald Trump announced Monday he has ordered the creation of a sixth branch of the US Army specializing in space.

"It's not enough to have a simple American presence in space, there must be American domination in space," said the US president before a meeting of the National Space Council.

"We will have the air force and we will have the space army, separate but equal," he added.

The United States is a signatory to the Space Treaty. Entered into force at the end of 1967, this text prohibits the deployment of weapons of mass destruction in outer space and stipulates that the use of the Moon and other celestial bodies must serve only peaceful purposes.

The idea of ​​an army of space is not new. The idea has already been raised by Donald Trump and previous governments. His supporters believe that this would make the Pentagon more effective.

The idea has also been criticized by senior military officials. Air Force Chief of Staff General David Goldfein said in a congressional hearing in 2017 that the creation of a space group "would lead us in the wrong direction". The air force oversees most military activities related to the country's space.

The decision of the American president must in principle be approved by the US Congress, which is divided on the issue.

"Fortunately, the president can not do it without the Congress because this is NOT the moment to dismantle the air force: too many missions at stake," said US Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat, on Twitter.

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said the department's political bureau will prepare to implement Donald Trump's order.

The president signed in December a decree allowing the resumption of manned missions towards the Moon, and eventually, towards Mars. He ordered the government to review the regulation of commercial spaceflight.

The Americans marched on the moon in 1969, in accordance with the goal set by President John F. Kennedy in 1961, the culmination of a ten-year space competition between Washington and Moscow in the midst of the Cold War.

The United States wants to send automatic sensors to the moon next year to prepare a return of astronauts on our satellite, which would be a first since 1972, said Monday a NASA official.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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