The U.S. Military Has Been in Space From the Beginning

While the proposed branch of the armed forces may be controversial, the history of the so-called “Space Force” is longstanding

The words "Space Force" conjure up images of plastoid-alloy-clad soldiers firing ray guns at aliens, but military activities in space aren't just science fiction. The U.S. military has been involved with space since the beginning, just, perhaps, not under that name.

Today, Vice President Mike Pence revealed that the administration hopes to have Space Force ready to fly by 2020 during a speech at the Pentagon. The proposal still needs congressional approval, but White House officials have steadily been pushing forward without the support of Congress. Initial moves to establish a U.S. Space Command (a combatant unit dedicated to defending space) could start by the end of the year. That would require pulling space experts from across all branches of the military and creating an office dedicated to developing space weapons and acquiring satellites. Pence also announced a new civilian position, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space, that would oversee the establishment of the Space Force.

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As for the President's directive to create a new space force, Alex Ward at Vox reports that it may not be valid. Constitutionally, only Congress has the authority to “raise and support armies.” The last branch to be created, the Air Force, was created by an act of Congress in 1947. Todd Harrison, director of the aerospace security project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies tells Patrick Kelley at Roll Call that “[t]he President can’t create a new military service on his own. There’s going to have to be legislation.”