As of 20 December 2019, the United States Space Force is now the newest branch of the armed forces (Military). The USSF will be tasked with “[organizing, training, and equipping] space forces in order to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint force” (Space Force) in addition to “developing military space professionals, acquiring military space systems, maturing the military doctrine for space power, and organizing space forces to present to our Combatant Commands” (Space Force).
The reason for creation of the USSF comes from the United States’ lacking ability in the space domain when compared to peer adversaries such as Russia and China according to an article published by the Heritage Foundation (Heritage).
As of now, this branch in not fully independent its recruitment efforts and the former “Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) was re-designated as the USSF as an initial step…” (Space Force).
Personally, I welcome the United States Space Force due to the fact that I believe this frontier will become a crucial asset in the next major conflict. While physical engagements may not occur outside the atmosphere of Earth, it is my opinion that maintaining space superiority will lend the upper hand to the United States when engaged in a combat situation with near peer adversaries due to its unique opportunities for surveillance, and oversight of military operations.
Sources:
The United States Space Force Website (Fact Sheet): https://www.spaceforce.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheet
United State Space Force (Military.com): https://www.military.com/space-force
Does The United States Need a Space Force?: https://www.heritage.org/space-policy/heritage-explains/does-the-united-states-need-space-force
Media: “Propelling Satellites in to Space”: https://www.spaceforce.mil/Connect-With-Us/Photos?igphoto=2002227181
I agree with you and the rest of the commenters, the creation of the Space Force is an important step in assuring that the US doesn’t fall behind the rest of the world in space technology. While the idea of a Space Force sounds like Star Trek to most, the tasks of the USSF are mainly communication and surveillance satellites. These satellites play a major role in the defense of the country, but a lot of this technology filters down to the commercial world eventually. A good example of this is GPS technology. Created in the 1980s, it was originally a military-only technology. However it was opened up to civilian use soon after it became apparent how useful it would be to many commercial industries.
With the creation of the Space Force, space programs that were originally under the Air Force will now receive more attention, and hopefully support, which can lead to new technology development that will benefit more than just the US or its military.
I think that the creation of the United States Space Force is extremely innovative. However there are problems with the building of one. For instance, how much money we are already spending on the military, and how much more money this will make us spend. In 2019, the US gave $649 billion to their military; this is more than the next seven countries with the biggest military budgets combined. The creation of a space force can also hurt relationships with other countries that are not comfortable with us being so involved in space. I am excited to see where the creation of a USSF takes us, but I am not entirely sure that it is a necessary development for our military.
https://www.pgpf.org/chart-archive/0053_defense-comparison
The establishment of the USSF is a very exciting activity. this means that when there is a potential threat from outer space, the USSF will have some capability to neutralize the threat. However, I can see two things that are wrong about it.
First, when you talk about space technology and the space station, it is a place that allows the top scientist to collaborate with other experts around the world to make progress in exploring space and bring useful information about human society to involve furthermore. But when you combine space technology with the military, there is a sense of threat attached to the USSF when you see its establishment from other countries’ perspectives. A place for technology and space development is suddenly equipped with military force, and it may make other countries’ who have an interest in space exploration feel uncomfortable.
Second, in class, professor Pursel talked about how a large amount of a country’s wealth is invested in military technological development. Therefore, establishing a new military force like USSF would mean to put a lot money into developing a new generation of weapons and technology that allow soldiers to go on a mission in space. who knows how much money would be put into this development, and the money are coming from the people. So, you can basically expect a tax raise in the coming years, which is totally not a thing to celebrate about.
The current military branches were created to strengthen the US against potential threats that we knew could endanger the citizens of this country. The USSF is the first that has the opportunity to predict threats before the entire human race knows they exist. Intelligent species may exist and therefore may not be friendly. A new branch of the military is necessary to combat that if the need arises. Whether it be in 10 years, 100 years, or not at all. The USSF will be preparing for such a scenario.
The concept of pushing boundaries in space has been part of our culture since the space race and the moon landing, but this takes it to a whole new level. This is the first military effort to change the battlegrounds of war and follows the US Army’s slogan: “Forge the Future”. The only way to keep up with the world is to never stop innovating, and the USSF is a great way to do that.
First off, my initial reaction was “I can’t believe that they actually did this.” I had been hearing about the space force in the news, on social media, and in social studies classes periodically for the last few years, but I never thought it was an actually serious proposal, or that Trump would actually be able to pull it off. But all jokes aside, is the space force actually a good idea?
Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, argues that the United States’ “most powerful adversaries already have a Space Force,” (“Does the…Force?”). Dean Cheng, a research fellow, argues that “In the next conflict, if it involves a major power or even a mid-size power increasing, it will have operations in space” (“Does the…Force?”).
Some, however, rally against the potential cost, with 2020 Democratic nominee Bernie Sanders arguing that “Before we create a Space Force [sic] we should make sure everyone has health care.” (Sanders).
https://www.heritage.org/space-policy/heritage-explains/does-the-united-states-need-space-force
https://twitter.com/berniesanders/status/1205182211374428161?lang=en