On Monday afternoon, President Trump announced to the National Space Council that he has ordered the Pentagon & Department of Defense to create a sixth branch of the military -- the Space Force.
It would be the first new military branch since the creation of the Air Force in 1947.
"My administration is reclaiming America's heritage as the world's greatest space-faring nation. 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...it is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space," Trump said.
Dana W. White [chief spokesperson for the Pentagon] issued a statement suggesting all of this is likely to take a while.
"We understand the President's guidance. Our Policy Board will begin working on this issue, which has implications for intelligence operations for the Air Force, Army, Marines and Navy. Working with Congress, this will be a deliberate process with a great deal of input from multiple stakeholders."
Thoughts?