Donald Trump Orders Creation of His 'Space Force'

A while back, President Donald Trump said in a speech that he was thinking about having a sixth branch of the military called the “Space Force.” At the time, many considered his statement to be a joke. It has just been revealed that Trump was actually completely serious about the prospect. He announced that he will be ordering the Pentagon to make it happen, with the goal being to stay ahead in the new space race.

During a speech at the White House on Monday, the president stated clearly that he is directing the Pentagon to get started on building his “Space Force,” The Guardian reports. Trump spoke during a meeting of the so-called National Space Council, which seeks to revive the country’s space colonization ambitions.

“Very importantly, I’m hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces,” Trump said.

“That’s a big statement. We are going to have the air force and we are going to have the space force – separate but equal. It is going to be something so important.”

Immediately following this pronouncement, critics and social media erupted with expressions of anxiety over a potentially militarized space. Numerous parodies that involved entertainment properties like “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” started popping up.

On a more serious note, however, this statement by Trump could have dire consequences for the world’s stability. The U.S. is a signatory to the 1967 Outer Space Treaty, Reuters reports. It’s basically an agreement that stipulates that space, the moon, and other celestial bodies are exclusively for peaceful purposes. This means that there should be no weapons of mass destruction outside of Earth’s orbit.

Fortunately, the president will need the approval of Congress to actually have the budget to make this ambition a reality. At the moment, the House is divided on the notion.