Clipping the Wings of Trump’s Space Force?
Budget

Clipping the Wings of Trump’s Space Force?

CARLOS BARRIA

Pentagon officials have been scrambling to come up with a plan for the creation of the Space Force as a new, independent branch of the military. But Marcus Weisgerber of Defense One says that the Trump administration is worried that the plan may not get through Congress next year, so defense officials are working on alternative plans. The four main options being considered reportedly are:

1. a space corps that is operated within the Air Force

2. a space corps that is controlled by the Air Force and also takes over space-related assets from the Army and Navy

3. an independent Space Force that takes over all space-related assets from the Air Force, Army and Navy

4. an independent Space Force that takes over all Pentagon space assets plus some parts of the intelligence community.

Each option has different budgetary implications, though the total additional cost for each variation is unclear. Todd Harrison of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said recently that different iterations of the Space Force could cost anywhere from $11 billion to $21.5 billion to operate each year, although only about $550 million of that would be new spending, with the rest coming from budget shifts within the Pentagon.

TOP READS FROM THE FISCAL TIMES