Nukewatch Quarterly Fall 2019
President Trump announced Aug. 29, the establishment of a “Space Command” and named its first commander, Air Force Gen. Jay Raymond. Trump called it “the 11th combatant command” within the US military and said, “Space Com’ will boldly deter aggression.” The further militarization of NASA “will ensure that America’s dominance in space is never questioned and never threatened…” The President claimed that Space Command “will soon be followed by the establishment of the US Space Force as the 6th branch of the US Armed Forces.” But Congress has not yet approved a Space Force, and some have suggested that the program should be a section of the Department of the Air Force. Former Secretary of Defense James Mattis saw plans for a Space Force “as potentially redundant” and a waste of tax dollars, PBS News Hour reported. Trump’s choice of Gen. Raymond as the program’s chief proves this point. Raymond is currently the head of the Air Force Space Command, not to be confused with US Space Force or US Space Command. —Vanity Fair, Aug. 30; Washington Post, Aug. 29, 2019
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