Statecraft

On National Security | Space Force fans, be careful what you wish for

A branch of the service dedicated to space warfare is a titillating prospect. And ever since the topic of a “Space Force” was brought up by President Trump, congressional hawks can’t stop talking about it.

Trump and other proponents of a stronger military posture in space argue that this is necessary to counter and deter what other countries are doing to “deny” the United States unfettered access to space and freedom to operate there.

The Pentagon has started a congressionally mandated review of how to organize the military space apparatus for an era of “great power competition.” Despite political pressure from the House Armed Services Committee, the review is supposed to be impartial on whether the solution is a space force, aka space corps.

Everyone loves a shiny object. But it’s hard to imagine the Pentagon will want to yank space authorities and functions from the Air Force and create a completely new organization.

Some experts worry that this has become too much of a distraction. In fact, the Trump administration has yet to put out a National Space Policy. That would be a necessary first step for the military to figure out its future responsibilities with regard to space.