Posted on 07/05/2004 6:47:46 PM PDT by KevinDavis
The latest and most serious call for a separate military space service is in this month’s issue of the US Naval Institute’s magazine, Proceedings, the US Navy’s principal professional journal. Written by Franz Gayl, a recently retired Marine Corps major, the article makes the case that the Air Force, due to perfectly natural institutional prejudices, is failing in its role as the executive agent for National Security Space or, as he refers to it, NSS. (Presumably, he does not know that there is another NSS out there.) This is an important article for several reasons. It is the first article in Proceedings calling for a separate service. It comes at a time when the Air Force’s management of some major space programs is under heavy and skeptical scrutiny. Also, there are growing calls in Congress and elsewhere for a national debate on space weaponization.
(Excerpt) Read more at thespacereview.com ...
Space Ping! This is the Space Ping List! Let me know if you want on or off this list!
Geez, we've already got Stargate Command, forming another military space service seems redundant....
There is no reason the Air Force should be or should have been extended to patrols of outer space. It would be natural for the Navy to undertake these tasks.
I disagree I think the Air Force can handle the job better. Navy to me is more of sea based service..
A mailing list which I'm on has discussed this.
The consensus was that which branch should handle it will depend on typical mission length. The navy has experience at handling multi week/multi month missions. On the other hand the air force is most skilled at multi-hour missions. Will the typical military space mission be a long time is space or a launch/couple of orbits/land operation?
Here's the thinking: Air Force operates short missions. Navy goes to sea in ships for extended periods. Probably the Army will reabsorb the Air Force eventually or the Navy will take over Air Force functions. This will occur especially as human pilots are taken out of service in favor of robot control. A true Space Force would involve ships. Ships means Navy.
Shines the name, shines the name of Roger Young.
Deep space warfare will be far closer to naval warfare than anything the Air Force has ever done.
Maybe had the Navy/Air Force capabilites combined into a single branch.. Hence the United States Space Force.
Plus, how else are we going to have space ships named "Enterprise"?
All the speculation of a hundred years of science fiction indicates that the culture and tradition of the Navy will be that of the space force.
All space terminology in science fiction, including personnel rank names comes from naval origins.
Examples: hull, bulkhead, midshipman, commander, admiral, "all ahead full"
not too much air in space
Wouldn't this be slightly premature, given our basic dearth of long distance/duration vehicles (other than the ISS, which I'm not sure is particularly ammenable to military functions)? I mean, we haven't even got credible manned lunar capability right now, so a 'space force' seems a little silly.
-SV
I can't believe they are still in the discussing stage. The space force should have been started in the 70's so we could we be well ahead of the curve.
Then there's the Navy. It has its own Army, (Marines) and two Air Force Branchs (Naval Air and Marine Air). For the longest time each had its own Training Command and Communications Services.
Of Course, they have their own Academies and therein lies the final institutional bias.
Maybe we need to adopt Roddenberry's idea. "The Academy" is on the Moon and Star Fleet is Star Fleet! Set Phasers to stun!
IMO, we need a Space Corps now to defend assets on the ground and on the high seas.
I'm glad to see this is getting some air. We should seize space, deny it to all other comers, destroy their satellites and any installations on the ground meant to counter our assets in space. Why? Because we can and because we would come out on top after any such skirmishing.
Yes, others can and will claim that it's an act of war. But who in their right mind wants to declare war on us?
Obviously, we would be maneuvering for predominance in space if we weren't the world's only superpower, just as nations once maneuvered for advantage at sea. But since we ARE the world's only superpower, we should simply seize space to solidify that position. It'd be a freebee. IMHO.
The first Shuttle was named Enterprise...therefore...can their be no doubt...Starfleet will be the name of our space force?
shwinnnnnnggggg!
been saying we oughtta turn space over to the glow-in-tha-dark bubbleheads for years now.
However, this is counting our chickens before they hatch - dividing nonexistent spoils. We are NOWHERE in manned spaceflight....and languishing there fast. The national will to get out there and do something in space has frittered away to nothing. And we're now down to three fat albatrosses which are currently as airworthy as pink or white elephants.
We're gonna need a buncha Burt Rutan's to show the way to routine and economical space access, or hope for an alien Pearl Harbor to galvanize a renewed space initiative.
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