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The US needs its own space force because China and Russia are already moving in this direction, US President Donald Trump says.
“Russia has already started, China has already started. They’ve got a start, but we have the greatest people in the world, we make the greatest equipment in the world, we make the greatest rockets, and missiles, and tanks, and ships in the world,” Trump said at one of his Make America Great Again rallies, this time in Richmond, Kentucky.
Trump recalled his record $700bn+ military budget that would “fully rebuild the American military” and noted that the creation of the Space Force is already underway.
In early August, Vice President Mike Pence provided some details on the creation of the US Space Force, which is expected to become the sixth branch of the Military as well as to help ensure “American dominance in space” by 2020.
He also claimed that the US move is just a response to actions of other states. Pence pointed out that Beijing has the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Strategic Support Force, which is charged with developing and maintaining the PLA’s space capabilities.
As to the Russian side, the Russian Space Forces are a subdivision of the Russian Aerospace Forces. They are charged with ensuring Russia’s air sovereignty, promoting aerospace early warning and operating the country’s military satellites, including the GLONASS navigation system.
