By Umar Farooq
WASHINGTON
Vice President Mike Pence laid out Thursday the plan for the country to establish a Space Force which could create a sixth military branch.
Pence said that Pentagon would take charge of space operations, in announcing a new Unified Space Command. It would become a central hub for all space military operations and will be led by a four star officer.
He also announced the creation of a space development agency which would work to develop the newest, cutting edge technology for space military operations. Pence noted that the agency will get rid of the “bureaucratic tape” that has plagued previous space related projects.
Pence alluded to the example of the creation of the U.S. Air Force a hundred years ago to show the importance of creating a military presence in space.
“Now, the time has come to write the next great chapter in the history of the Armed Forces of the United States — to prepare for the next battlefield where America’s best and bravest will be called to deter and defeat a new generation of threats to our people, to our nation,” Pence said.
The initial announcement of a Space Force came from President Donald Trump in June. The Pentagon will work to lay out the groundwork for the new military branch which would be established by 2020, according to Pence.
