US Army Troops Could Be Headed to the Space Force

Fellow Freepers, I was there (in Colorado) when the "Army Space Agency" became the Army Space Command (1988). I was attached to the USAF 2nd Satellite Operations Squadron (GPS Master Control Station) as part of a special program to teach combat arms officers space tradecraft. And in my capacity today as a defense contractor, this move to create a Space Force is very professionally relevant.

Yes, most of the new Space Force would be drawn from personnel currently in the USAF. But you need to understand that the Air Force has not taken space seriously enough until recently. If you look at who gets promoted to O-6 and higher, space professionals are under-represented.

At the Ground Systems Architecture Workshop 3 years ago, the Commander of the Air Force Space and Missile Center (the USAF's space acquisition organization) discussed in his keynote speech just how much space-based capabilities are imbedded now in our tactical operations. The ARSTRAT CG's remarks are well-taken.

Now, if your way of warfighting is very dependent upon space capabilities, you need to make sure that some adversary doesn't start taking out your satellites. And make no mistake, the Chinese and the Russians are building very nasty offensive space weaponry. War in space is coming. And you need to have professionals who are dedicated to warfighting in space.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.