Pence said the administration is keen on “accountability” and will create a single civilian position reporting to the secretary of defense to oversee the growth and expansion of the new branch. WASHINGTON — A much anticipated Pentagon report on the reorganization of the space components of the Defense Department was scheduled to be submitted to Congress on August 1 but was more than a week late, according to a spokesman, to allow more time for additional coordination. There was much speculation about what prompted the delay. An earlier draft of that report, dated July 30, was obtained by Defense One, which reported on the contents July 31. The final report, dated August 9, was released by DoD on Thursday after Vice President Mike Pence previewed its contents in a speech at the Pentagon. According to sources familiar with the earlier draft of the report, the White House wanted the Pentagon to state more explicitly its intent to create a separate military service for space. The July 30 draft included a list of immediate actions DoD would take, such as standing up a unified Space Command, establishing a Space Operations Force and creating a Space Development Agency to oversee technology efforts. But there was no mention of an “accountable civilian” leader to oversee the transition to a separate service and to manage the process. Sources said the final DoD report, unlike the earlier draft, leaves no doubt that this is a step toward a Space Force and that a civilian leader will be in charge. The report says the Defense Department will “establish an affordable and efficient operating structure with accountable civilian oversight to provide service and support functions for the Space Force.” Pence explained the thinking. He said the administration is keen on “accountability” and will create a single civilian position reporting to the secretary of defense to oversee the growth and expansion of the new branch. Initially an assistant secretary of defense for space, this position will be “key to the critical transition to a fully independent Secretary of the Space Force in the years ahead,” said Pence. This might require legislative support because Congress sets a limit on the number of assistant secretaries of defense. If a new assistant secretary were added for space, DoD would have to ask Congress to authorize it or it could eliminate an existing position. A civilian leader to take ownership of this process was a major concern of the White House, one source said, even more so than the creation of a U.S. Space Command — which Congress already had put into law in the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act — and the establishment of a Space Development Agency and a Space Operations Force. The final report addressed White House concerns about the Pentagon being sufficiently clear that reorganization efforts are aimed at creating a separate service. “It is imperative that the United States adapts its policies, doctrine, and capabilities to protect our interests. Towards that end, the Department of Defense will marshal space resources into a Space Force,” said the report. “The Space Force will protect our economy through deterrence of malicious activities, ensure our space systems meet national security requirements, and provide vital capabilities to joint and coalition forces across the spectrum of conflict.”<doc-sep>Today, Vice President Mike Pence gave a speech at the Pentagon in which he filled in some details on the administration's plans to add a distinct space force to the Department of Defense. The speech coincided with the completion of a Pentagon report that provides a greater sense of how the space force would be structured and fit in with the existing Defense bureaucracy. But there's still a lot unspecified regarding whether non-defense space activities, such as those pursued by the NSA, will be affected by the changes. Now is the time A significant portion of Pence's speech was devoted to arguing that this is the right time for a space force. Some of the arguments date back to the Cold War, like the development of anti-satellite weaponry, a concern enhanced by China's testing of such a weapon about a decade ago. Others are more recent, like the development of things such as GPS-jamming hardware. One of the arguments stretched logic a little, as Pence cited the threat of hypersonic missiles, which pose a risk because they don't enter space and therefore can't be targeted for antimissile interception there. While these events may not represent a coherent plan by an adversary to militarize space, Pence argued that they represent a situation where US adversaries like China and Russia have already made space what he termed a warfighting domain. "What was once peaceful and uncontested is now crowded and adversarial," Pence said, referring to space. "Today, other nations are seeking to disrupt our space-based systems and challenge our supremacy as never before." He quoted Trump in saying that this was unacceptable and that "We must have American dominance in space." Pence has argued that this change meant that the appropriate response is a new branch of the military, but his view of history here was a bit odd. The two examples he cited to argue for the benefits of a space force were the US Air Force's growth during World War II and the formation of the Special Operations Command in the 1980s. But the Air Force's growth took place while it was still the Army Air Corps; its current status was only granted afterward. The Special Operations Command, by contrast, hasn't achieved the same status as that intended for space force. Advertisement Early details Be that as it may, the administration is starting to fill out some details about what might go into a space force. These would include a secretary of the Space Force, which will eventually reach the same status as the secretary of the Army or Navy and have a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The secretary will oversee a unified combat command that will coordinate activities and establish combat doctrines for space. That will be joined by a Space Development Agency that, by becoming part of the defense bureaucracy, is intended to be an antidote to bureaucracy and enable new thinking. The first chance to implement any of this will be in the 2020 budget. Starting then, the administration hopes to spend $8 billion over the ensuing five years. In terms of practical considerations, Pence mentioned a couple of activities that will be folded into the space force. These include our current anti-ballistic missile defense systems. Pence also mentioned reconnaissance satellites. While the military operates a number of these, others are handled by civilian agencies like the NSA, as it was found to be advantageous to have multiple sources of intelligence. It's not clear whether that independent operation will continue and, if so, how these activities will be coordinated with those of the space force. While the details are still sparse, all indications are that the majority of the personnel and activities that could end up in the space force will come from the Air Force. Whatever happens with the creation of the space force, US doctrine will remain constrained by the Outer Space Treaty, which outlaws the positioning of weapons of mass destruction in space or any weaponry on the Moon. While this does allow a variety of conventional weapons in space, practical considerations should limit things like anti-satellite weapons, which have the potential to create debris fields that limit access to space by all nations. When the report becomes available, we'll update this article to reflect it.<doc-sep>The Department of Defense released a report Thursday on how to create the Space Force. The President's "National Security Strategy" and the "National Strategy for Space" highlight that the United States must maintain peace through strength in space. The group outlines four pillars for a unified approach to secure U.S. space leadership: Transform to more resilient space architectures Strenghten deterrence and warfighting options Improve foundational capabilities, structure and processes Foster conducive domestic and international environments for space development. Establishing a sixth branch of the Armed Forces still requires Congressional action. Read the full 15-page document. Vice President Mike Pence announced the immediate steps the Department of Defense would take to reform how the military approaches space. The plan details the establishment of a Space Force by 2020. "The time has come to establish the Unites States Space Force," Pence during in a speech at the Pentagon Thursday, citing threats from China and Russia. "Our Administration will soon take action to implement these recommendations with the objective of establishing the United States Department of the Space Force by 2020." In June, President Trump directed the Pentagon to begin the process to establish Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces."<doc-sep>President Donald Trump presents the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy to the Army Black Knights college football team during a ceremony at the White House on May 1, 2018. He also restated his desire to create a new branch of the military called the Space Force. President Donald Trump's "Space Force" idea is no joke. During a speech at the Pentagon at 11:15 a.m. EDT (1515 GMT) today (Aug. 9), Vice President Mike Pence will outline the administration's plan to create a new branch of the military focused on defending the ultimate high ground, The Washington Post reported Wednesday (Aug. 8). You can watch Pence's Space Force speech live here, courtesy of the White House. Pence's speech alone won't establish the Space Force; setting up a new military branch requires congressional approval, The Post noted. The U.S. military currently consists of five branches — the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard — and a new one hasn't been created since the Air Force got off the ground in 1947. The Space Force idea, which Trump first floated publicly in March 2018, has been controversial within military circles. For example, some folks have raised objections about creating another government entity to do work already under the Air Force's purview. (And Air Force officials are generally nonplussed, of course, about potentially losing some of the branch's responsibilities and funding.) But Trump has continued to push for a Space Force, so the idea may well become reality before long. Military leaders "are in complete alignment with the president’s concern about protecting our assets in space to contribute to our security to our economy, and we're going to have to address it as other countries show a capability to attack those assets," Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told The Post. Mattis stopped short of giving a wholehearted endorsement of the Space Force as a separate branch, however. "I don't have all the final answers yet," he said. "We're still putting it together." Editor's note: This story was updated Aug. 9 to include details of the White House webcast for Pence's Space Force speech. Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.<doc-sep>
The president described in March how he had originally coined the term as a joke, while discussing U.S. government spending and private investment in space. Trump then directed the Pentagon in June to immediately begin the creation of the new branch. Trump first floated the Space Force idea as a part of his national security strategy March 13. On Thursday, he expressed his enthusiasm for the plan in a tweet shortly after Pence made the announcement, saying: "Space Force all the way!" Vice President Mike Pence announced the Pentagon's detailed plan for President Donald Trump 's vision of a Space Force on Thursday, which would establish the first military branch in over 70 years. Pence on Thursday stressed that the new branch would be built, in part, from pre-existing elements. "The Space Force will not be built from scratch," Pence said during a speech before members of the Pentagon. "This is a critical step toward's establishing the Space Force as the sixth branch of our armed forces." Here are the four components to the Department of Defense establishing a Space Force: First, DoD will establish a Space Development Agency to develop and field space capabilities at speed and scale. The Air Force has already begun to transform its Space and Missile Center (SMC). The Department will accelerate and extend this transformation to all services by creating a joint Space Development Agency. Second, the Department will develop the Space Operations Force to support the Combatant Commands. These joint space warfighters will provide space expertise to combatant commanders and the Space Development Agency, and surge expertise in time of crisis to ensure that space capabilities are leveraged effectively in conflict. Third, the Department will create the governance, services, and support functions of the Space Force. Many of these will require changes to U.S. law. The Department will build a legislative proposal for Congressional consideration as a part of the Fiscal Year 2020 budget cycle. Fourth, the Department will create a U.S. Space Command, led by a four star general or flag officer, to lead the use of space assets in warfighting and accelerate integration of space capabilities into other warfighting forces. U.S. Space Command will be responsible for directing the employment of the Space Force. Defense Secretary James Mattis on Tuesday threw his support behind the idea of creating a space-focused military command but stopped short of promising the new "Space Force" branch of service that Trump has touted. Currently the U.S. Air Force manages the domain through the U.S. Space Command. "We need to address space as a developing war-fighting domain and a combatant command is certainly one thing that we can establish," Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon, adding: "This is a process we're in." The Pentagon's top brass is hesitant to form a new military branch, former Air Force secretary Deborah Lee James told CNBC on July 30. "None of them are in favor of a space force but they are stuck," James said. "The president has said it and it will be interesting to see how they now deal with it." Read the full Pentagon report to Congress here: