Trump directs creation of 'space force' as sixth branch of military

[Spencer100]

Colonial Space Marines is what is required here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ5J8ZiS2f8

 

[daftandbarmy]

Colonial Space Marines is what is required here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ5J8ZiS2f8

I like how they point their space rifle muzzles at the deck on the space Landing Craft, as if they're getting into a helicopter.

It must be an infantry thing, but you'd be better off putting the muzzle in your mouth 'cause if you have an ND in a space ship, you'd probably rather go that way than via explosive decompression

 

[Good2Golf]

I like how they point their space rifle muzzles at the deck on the space Landing Craft, as if they're getting into a helicopter.

It must be an infantry thing, but you'd be better off putting the muzzle in your mouth 'cause if you have an ND in a space ship, you'd probably rather go that way than via explosive decompression

They're in full pressure suits...no effect on them from an ND...unless it hits the reactor core, of course. :nod:

 

[Jarnhamar]

I like how they point their space rifle muzzles at the deck on the space Landing Craft, as if they're getting into a helicopter.

It must be an infantry thing, but you'd be better off putting the muzzle in your mouth 'cause if you have an ND in a space ship, you'd probably rather go that way than via explosive decompression

The Imperial Infantryman's Uplifting Primer states if you get sucked out into space you must hold your breath and make swimming motions back towards your ship.

 

[Eye In The Sky]

Had to happen sooner or later...

 

[tomahawk6]

Gotta have Space Marines. :nod:

 

[daftandbarmy]

Gotta have Space Marines. :nod:

Why are the Marines hogging the limelight in Space too? Oh...

"My dear Congressman McDonough:

"I read with a lot of interest your letter in regard to the Marine Corps. For your information the Marine Corps is the Navy's police force and as long as I am President that is what it will remain. They have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin's." Harry S. Truman

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=13607

 

[OldSolduer]

Gotta have Space Marines. :nod:

Because there are big nasty Aliens out there. And bugs. And Predators.

 

[FSTO]

Why are the Marines hogging the limelight in Space too? Oh...

"My dear Congressman McDonough:

"I read with a lot of interest your letter in regard to the Marine Corps. For your information the Marine Corps is the Navy's police force and as long as I am President that is what it will remain. They have a propaganda machine that is almost equal to Stalin's." Harry S. Truman

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=13607

*"The Soviets are our adversary. Our enemy is the Navy."

— Curtis LeMay, General, US Air Force

 

[Colin Parkinson]

The memes this announcement has inspired are so fricking good, I love the ones about the first VA claims.

 

[Jarnhamar]

Space Force recruiting video?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRMUYpH7bQk

 

[FSTO]

 

[a_majoor]

"I always get the shakes before a drop...."

Heinlein wrote the doctrine back in 1959.

I might be a little less enthusiastic if the US Space Force starts building space battleships like the "Micheal" from "Footfall", however. Being anywhere near the launch site will be somewhat....alarming.

 

[Fishbone Jones]

Even with Reg vs Reserve.  ;D

 

[Spencer100]

Asteriod Defense!

Someone is taking this to the next level

https://www.space.com/40949-trump-space-force-asteroid-defense.html


Why is it I just see in my head a little triangle jeting around shooting electronic blobs?

 

[Spencer100]

Got it!    :rofl:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYSupJ5r2zo

 

[rmc_wannabe]

Saw this on Reddit. Outstanding.

 

[OldSolduer]

Saw this on Reddit. Outstanding.

Well done to the soldier who did this.

I agree with his “only good bug is a dead bug” except for bees which are ok .....

 

[Blackadder1916]

A microphone, a TV camera, a crowd and the unfettered imagination of a [insert own adjective here] president makes for a target rich environment for meme makers everywhere.  Far be it for me to talk about what some of the adults are saying when it would be much more enjoyable to join in the (oh so deserved) ridicule of Mr. Trump's announcement.  And yes, there was legitimate direction from the White House about space that appears to be well conceived, timely and a necessary step to the stars (sorry, that last phrase was cheesy).  Now, if someone would just wrestle the microphone from the president, maybe he wouldn't come across as a buffoon.

I was actually looking for some witty memes to join in the fun when I came across this from USNI which seemed a well reasoned comment about "Space Force".

https://news.usni.org/2018/06/18/34434

Proposed Space Force Would Pull Expertise From All Service Branches

By: Ben Werner  June 18, 2018 5:57 PM

The White House’s proposed military Space Force would likely rely heavily on existing personnel from inside the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army, plus a host of other intelligence agencies, experts told USNI News on Monday.

The Space Force was announced by President Trump on Monday. Trump’s directive doesn’t provide mission specifics, but the language suggests the Space Force would be charged with protecting both commercial and government assets in space.

“As space becomes increasingly contested, the demand for the Department of Defense to focus on protecting U.S. space assets and interests also increases. At the same time, the rapid commercialization of space requires a traffic management framework that protects U.S. interests and considers the private sector’s needs,” the directive reads.

But before the proposed sixth branch of the military is formed, Congress needs to approve legislation and the Department of Defense would have to iron out the fine details, according to a Monday afternoon statement from Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White.

“We understand the President’s guidance,” she said. “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.”

The Pentagon also has to do the homework of creating Space Force theory, doctrine and strategy, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, dean of the Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Power Studies, told USNI News on Monday.

“Creation of an independent Space Force may be the future, but right now it’s premature,” Deptula said.

The last time an independent service branch was created was when the Air Force was split off from the Army after World War II in 1947. By the time the Air Force was created, its leadership had spent two decades between WWI and WWII developing an air power strategy and new technology. During WWII, the then-Army Air Corps continued to refine and implement strategy and technology.

Today with space, developing military strategy hasn’t hasn’t happened to the same degree, Deptula said. As for the technology required for a Space Force to be effective, it’s still very much in the developmental phase.

“I’m all for missile defense using directed energy weapons in space to take out ballistic missiles,” Deptula said. “It’s a great idea, but we’re not there yet.”

Military planners likely have some time to develop the Space Force theory, doctrine, and strategy, since Congress doesn’t appear close to approving the branch, Bryan Clark, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, told USNI News.

“To really create a Space Force you need legislation, and the legislation appears stalled,” Clark said.

At the pace Congress operates, Clark said it’s unlikely that anything more than a broad proposal could be approved this year, and that might be a stretch. At best, he said the soonest legislation could be approved creating the new branch would be in 2019.

If passed, Congress would likely leave the organizational details for the Pentagon to iron out. Maybe some new flag officer billets would be created by legislation, but their job descriptions would probably be developed at the Pentagon. Even determining the rank structure — a Navy/Coast Guard model using admirals, or an Army/Air Force model using generals — would come from the Pentagon, Clark said.

The process used by the Department of Defense to establish U.S. Cyber Command provides a possible model, Clark said. Each service branch has cyber experts, and they were pulled together to form the new command. A new Space Force would likely do something similar, pulling in personnel from jobs with an existing space focus.

“Appropriators [in Congress] would decide how much money, and the Department of Defense would decide what duties would be moved to Space Force,” Clark said.

Deptula thinks the Space Force will be created in the future, but he is not sure the Congress has the drive to create the force.

“We can’t even recapitalize the geriatric forces we have inside the Air Force, so where is this extra money going to come from?” Deptula said.

"The language suggests . . ."?  What language was there other than what seemed an off the cuff announcement during a rally about creating another service?  Maybe there's something official (other than presidential babbling and tweets) from the White House.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-achieving-safe-secure-future-space/

President Donald J. Trump is Achieving a Safe and Secure Future in Space

Infrastructure & Technology  Issued on: June 18, 2018


“This is a giant step toward inspiring future generations and toward reclaiming America’s proud destiny in space.”

President Donald J. Trump

FURTHER SPACE DEVELOPMENT: President Donald J. Trump signed Space Policy Directive – 3 directing the United States to lead the management of traffic and mitigate the effects of debris in space.

•Space Policy Directive – 3 provides guidelines and direction to ensure that the United States is a leader in providing a safe and secure environment as commercial and civil space traffic increases.
•As space becomes increasingly contested, the demand for the Department of Defense to focus on protecting U.S. space assets and interests also increases.
•At the same time, the rapid commercialization of space requires a traffic management framework that protects U.S. interests and considers the private sector’s needs.

•The new Directive seeks to reduce the growing threat of orbital debris to the common interest of all nations.
•The Directive articulates the policy of the United States to pursue and utilize both Government and commercial sector technologies to track and monitor space debris.
•The Directive requires updates to the U.S. Orbital Debris Mitigation Standard Practices and new guidelines for satellite design and operation.

•The new Directive sets guidelines for the United States to manage space traffic more effectively by spearheading new data sharing initiatives.
•The United States should continue to provide basic space situational awareness data and basic space traffic management services free of direct user fees.
•The Department of Commerce will make space safety data and services available to the public, while the Department of Defense maintains the authoritative catalogue of space objects.

•The United States will maintain and expand its leadership in space by increasing its capabilities and developing standards and best practices. This effort will:
•Improve space situational awareness data standards and information sharing;
•Leverage U.S. standards and best practices to shape international norms; and
•Streamline processes and reduce regulatory burdens that inhibit commercial growth, enabling the U.S. commercial sector to lead the world in space.

A RENEWED VIGOR FOR SPACE: The new Space Policy Directive builds on the President’s efforts to reinstate the United States leadership role in space.
•On May 24, 2018, the President signed Space Policy Directive – 2 to reform United States commercial space regulatory framework, seeking to ensure our place as a leader in space commerce.
•On March 23, 2018, President Trump unveiled a National Space Strategy that laid out an approach to ensuring that the United States is strong and competitive in the space environment.
•On December 11, 2017, the President signed Space Policy Directive – 1, instructing NASA to return United States astronauts to the Moon, followed by human missions to Mars.
•On June 30 2017, President Trump signed an Executive Order reviving the National Space Council for the first time in 24 years.

Space Policy Directive - 3?  That is a much longer and more detailed document.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/space-policy-directive-3-national-space-traffic-management-policy/

Somewhere between President Trump (hopefully) being briefed and signing off on this policy directive that obviously is the result of much intensive, detailed and knowledgeable staff work and showing up for his routine of a self-adulation rally, his takeaway is "Starship Troopers".  :not-again:

 

[Jarnhamar]