Trump signs ‘Space Force’ directive

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump signed an order Tuesday outlining his vision for a new "Space Force" that could one day become a separate military branch on an equal footing to the Army and Navy. Trump wants to create a space force to protect satellites, tackle vulnerabilities in space and assert US dominance in orbit. "We have to be prepared," Trump told reporters after signing the directive. "My administration has made the creation of a space force a national security issue." Space Force would be the sixth branch of the military alongside the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force and Coast Guard. The order calls for Congress to draft legislation that would establish Space Force as a branch that falls under the Air Force, similar to how the Navy oversees the Marine Corps. Defense Department spokesman Charlie Summers said the Pentagon would submit its legislative proposal within the coming weeks. With the new directive, "Trump is posturing the United States to compete, deter, and win in a complex multi-domain environment characterized by great power competition," Summers said in a statement.