US House votes down amendment to slow Trump’s space force process
US President Donald Trump’s desired space force has been supported by lawmakers at the House of Representatives.
On Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee voted down a proposal by Ohio Republican Representative Mike Turner during the panel’s markup of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).
Republican Representatives Mike Rogers and Jim Cooper were hoping for a space war fighting unit under the US Air Force, as well as a sub-unified command that would report to Strategic Command.
The feasibility of a space force, however, is not clear, Turner suggested, citing an upcoming assessment to be released by the Defense Department (DOD) in summer, by which time the lawmakers should wait.
“We’re in the process of awaiting the report we asked for, and yet we’re going to jump forward in this mark and direct DOD to undertake a reorganization while we’re asking them to study the reorganization,” Turner said.
‘Avoiding a space Pearl Harbor’
Fierce opposition from the Pentagon last year made a proposal for a dedicated space force to be stripped out in negotiations with US Senate
Turner added that Defense Secretary James Mattis should have “the flexibility to be able to take action if the report that we’ve asked for comes up with a recommendation different than we’re compelling.”
No matter what is inside the upcoming report, “there’s still things in space that have to be fixed,” Rogers said.
Cooper, meanwhile, argued that just like last year, Turner is “trying to oppose us this year.”
“I think that any member of this committee who wants to make sure that we avoid a space Pearl Harbor will support the subcommittees’ work on this,” Cooper added.
Turner responded by asserting that, “I am not opposed, what I am for is a legislative process,” but again Cooper argued that it will not be helpful.
"That will not help prepare the nation against an increasing threat," he said. "We need to do more than what we’ve been doing.”
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