Media, Law & Policy

Creation of ‘Space Force’ Is a Solution In Search of a Problem

Tuesday, June 19, 2018, By Daryl Lovell

On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order to begin the process of establishing a “Space Force” as the sixth branch of the armed forces.

Sean O’Keefe is a University Professor at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and former Administrator of NASA. The graduate courses he leads include national security policy and technology management.

O’Keefe says:

“Creation of separate military service as a ‘Space Force’ is a solution in search of a problem.

“The ‘Space Force’ as a separate military service entity would still compete with all the other defense-related priorities for resources and leadership attention. There’s no reason to believe that space-related programs would fare any better than they do today under the U.S. Air Force recognizance.

“Setting this up via Executive Order means Trump decided to railroad this answer past his own Department of Defense. Perhaps he thinks that the administrative cost to create this new bureaucracy for no rational reason will be offset by what he thinks is being saved by canceling the Pacific ‘war games’ in Korea.

“It’s hard to imagine how this will improve the dynamics for space as a priority.”

 

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