Summary:
On Tuesday, February 19, president Donald Trump signed the Space Force Directive, a policy establishing Trump's ability to build the US' sixth military branch in space. Trump relies on congress to help him pass this policy, however the Democrats control the House, meaning that there is not guaranteed support for this initiative yet.
When hearing news regarding defense of one's country, we usually hear about risks of nuclear warfare, etc. The idea of a Space Force takes methods of defense to another level. If the US builds a military branch in Space, what's stopping other countries? The moment nations are prepared for warfare in space, the greater the risk of advanced weaponry and attack mechanisms around the world. There are reasons countries don't attack with nuclear weapons, but merely keep them as threats- as we saw through the destructive and devastating results of World War II. Trump doesn't seem to have all the details sorted out, and there are many decisions to be made within the government, so hopefully no initiative takes place until further planning commences. Of course, the president should also consider the civil liberties of people when planning this military branch, and look out beyond just the US, since China and Russia may be underway to spark galactic warfare against the US if this initiative gets out of hand.
Connection:
As previously mentioned in my reaction, this reminds me of World War II, and the the US' bombing of Hiroshima. President Tubman approved of the nuclear bomb to return Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. This ended World War II because of it's horrific results, but other countries have since developed their own nuclear weapons, and kept them as a threat. Nations have also signed nuclear deals in attempts of preventing any nuclear warfare between them. Trump is the first to actively attempt a Space Force Initiative. This could provoke nations like China and Russia to build their own forces in space, sparking space warfare, which may lead to destructive results, paralleling the bombing of Hiroshima.
Discussion questions:
1. Do you think a US Space Force will effectively defend the country?
2. Do you believe Congress will pass Trump's Space Force initiative?
3. What are the consequences, or the benefits, of a sixth military branch in space?
Additional Sources:
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/12/trumps-space-force-may-get-its-first-72-million-next-year.html
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44527672
I agree with the author’s reaction- this initiative has the potential to create more unnecessary chaos and increase opportunities for conflicts between countries. Through the articles I have read about this topic, none of them explicitly mention the reason for the space force, and how it will “ensure that [americans] are secure.” Personally, I do not think that a Space Branch is even necessary- we have never been too concerned about space in the past the same way that nuclear bombs and other war weapons threaten our security. It seems like a waste of 14 billion dollars, which is almost three times the outrageous amount Donald Trump requested for his border wall (https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/13/pentagon-wants-14point1-billion-to-help-air-force-develop-space-warriors.html). This large sum of money could be used to improve so many things that prove to be detrimental to the US at its current states, like poverty, the Flint Michigan water crisis, global warming preventive measures, etc.
ReplyDeleteA space force is completely necessary to protect the American people. As the upholders of democratic values and freedoms it is imperative that we are prepared to defend the independence of humanity. Infrastructure in space is the future. Bank of America predicts the space industry to be worth almost 3 trillion dollars in 30 years. According to United States Bureau of Economic Analysis, the entire transportation industry added a meager 1.2 trillion to the US GDP in 2017. Unfortunately, there is a threat to the peace, prosperity, and advancement of humanity through space. This is the Chinese and Russian space programs. A US Defense Intelligence Agency briefing from 2019 lists both of these as “challenges to security in space.” This briefing reveals that China is pursuing laser-based technology to shoot down satellites and missile-based anti-satellite weapons (ASATs). The briefing also says that Russia is currently developing similar technology in addition to satellites that can monitor US and NATO actions around the clock. These countries are developing technology to threaten our freedom. While I understand the concerns that this could start another arms race, we can not afford to fall behind. When the first satellite falls, it will be too late. We need to take action while we have a chance to further peace. There are also arguments that the Space Force should be implemented as part of a current military branch. This branch would probably be the Air Force. However, the Air Force is currently in charge of space and if the Space Force was implemented the Air Force predicts that the Space Force budget will be 0.13% of the total Air Force budget (72 million out of over 54 billion). That is clearly far too low to adequately protect ourselves from the foreign technological advances. There have been treaties created to promote equality in space, most notably the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. This treaty famously states that space “shall be the province of all mankind.” It goes on to say that no nation can claim sovereignty over space and prevents the placement of any weapons of mass destruction in space or on the moon. However, the Space Force will not be placing weapons of mass destruction in space. Instead, it will develop technology to rival that of Russia and China in order to deter attacks on American infrastructure in space and avoid chaos from above. The creation of a Space Force would be similar to the inception of the Air Force in 1947. This branch allowed the United States to develop planes and stay ahead of the Soviet Union. The Space Force would also serve to counter the Chinese PLASSF which was created recently in 2015. During the first battles of mankind people rushed for the hills. During WWI they rushed for the skies. Now it is our turn to rush for outer space. Obi-Wan Kenobi once said, “It’s over… I have the high ground.” Ultimately, the Space Force is essential protect our future.
ReplyDeletehttps://ntknetwork.com/pros-and-cons-of-trumps-space-force/
Deletehttps://www.dailyastorian.com/opinion/columns/is-the-proposed-u-s-space-force-really-necessary-to/article_53d680e3-602d-5752-b2f9-c3833cc392cb.html
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/31/the-space-industry-will-be-worth-nearly-3-trillion-in-30-years-bank-of-america-predicts.html
https://apps.bea.gov/iTable/iTable.cfm?ReqID=51&step=1
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/02/13/pentagon-warns-of-weaponization-of-space-by-china-russia-report.html
https://www.ucsusa.org/nuclear-weapons/space-weapons/international-legal-agreements
https://www.britannica.com/event/Outer-Space-Treaty
https://www.ussc.edu.au/analysis/is-the-us-space-force-a-good-idea
https://www.airuniversity.af.edu/CASI/Display/Article/1379490/the-creation-of-the-pla-strategic-support-force-and-its-implications-for-chines/
https://www.saffm.hq.af.mil/Portals/84/documents/FY20/FY2020%20Air%20Force%20Budget%20Overview%20Book%20Final%20v3.pdf?ver=2019-03-13-082653-843
I appreciate your reference to the Air Force allowing the US to develop planes and stay ahead of the Soviet Union. This definitely places the US in a mindset of staying on top of the game. While Chinese and Russian technologies may threaten our freedom, the US shouldn’t act upon these threats, regarding fear of another arms race. However, I agree that the US should develop a Space Force to defend our country. If China and Russia take down satellites, we put ourselves in the position of weakness, causing violence up in space against our country. However, if we have defense put in place initially, the US is increasing their strength in space, and decreasing the threat of violence from competing nations. Overall, the US should not attack other nations developing space technology first, for risk of another disastrous war. However, the US should build a force in space to protect our country against potential threats from China and Russia.
DeleteWhile you have many great points and your comment makes a very compelling argument, I respectfully disagree with a couple of aspects. Mainly, I disagree that a Space Force is completely necessary for our security, but I would like to address all of your points in order, so I will get to that later. First, you assert that we are “the upholders of democratic values and freedoms.” The use of “the” suggests that we are the sole upholders of democratic values and freedoms which is misleading. Especially seeing as how we are rated a 71/100 on a corruption scale and 22/180 on the countries that were looked at according to Transparency International (1). In the same sentence you claim, “it is imperative that we are prepared to defend the independence of humanity.” While I really enjoy how heroic this sounds, I found it hard to decipher the meaning of this. What is the independence of humanity? Who are we defending it from? Certainly not the two rivals you refer to later; China and Russia, because it wouldn’t make sense to try and protect the independence of humankind from other humans. Whatever was meant, I had trouble understanding the meaning due to the cryptic language. Next, I do agree that the space industry will certainly be growing, but this growth will take a long time. In addition according to your own source (2), the Bank of America outlook is nearly triple Morgan Stanley’s expectation for 2040 (3-4). This seems to indicate that perhaps the “meager” $1.2 trillion added to the US GDP in 2017 by the transportation industry, isn’t in fact that meager, at least for the next couple of decades. Anyways, now to my main difference in opinion; the Space Force is not necessary for our security. It is not necessary because there has been little to no provocation, we have better options to ensure our safety, we already have deterrents for attacks, and it would be too costly. One of the main arguments used to claim that we need a Space Force is that China and Russia are a threat. This is exemplified when you assert that Russia and China are “developing technology to threaten our freedom.” I understand why one might worry about them when they have laser-based technologies that can be used to shoot down satellites as if they have the Death Star. However, China has made it clear that this is not their intent with the weapon. In fact, as one of your sources (5) says, they are “officially advocating ‘for peaceful use of space.’” In addition, Russia has not done anything to indicate they intend to use their weapons against us. Furthermore, Russia an active part of international cooperation in space, as noted by 47 of the 236 people to visit the international space station, being from Russia (6). If they are an active participant in cooperation then it would be against their own best interests to work against us. And even if the weapons were built with the intention to be used, why would we want to start another arms race (7)? I especially worry that this arms race could potentially lead to the downfall of civilization, as the Cold War got so close to doing. Instead of going through that we should learn from our past and improve. The way to do this is to instead start with what saved us during the Cold War: diplomacy and common sense. If we start with diplomacy we move further from violence and closer to a real solution that both sides can agree to. In addition, this would save us the trouble of being forced to actually make a Space Force.
DeleteThen you may ask, what happens if diplomacy doesn’t work? Then I would kindly remind you that the US as of 2017 still had 6,800 nuclear warheads(8), over 1 million active duty military personnel (9), but more important than our impressive military is the question of what would happen if we were attacked. It begs questions like: how would the rest of the world react? What would happen to the world economy? What would the death tolls be like? What would be the lasting implications? These are big daunting questions that I think can drive enough dear into the hearts of both Russia and China to stop them from trying to declare war with us. Which is good because then we won’t need to spend the $13 Billion estimated by the Air Force according to the original article. This money would be much better used for improving public education, funding NASA, or any number of reforms the government should make. For a better comparison, one might want to think about this number like my friend thinks about babysitting money; that money could pay for 4.3 billion bobas. Think about how much good that could do! And while all these points (except maybe the last one) are reasons why it would be impractical to build it, I would like to address some problems that would arise if it was built. First, there would be a “bureaucratic overlap” with the Air Force. As stated in one of your articles, “the relative lack of an overwhelming, clear, and present danger emanating from space means that the Trump administration may be creating an entirely unnecessary federal bureaucracy” (11). Secondly, it would further strain US relations with China and Russia (7) (10). The Futurism article mentioned before (7 again) goes as far as to boldly state, “We don’t know how war in space will look. But establishing a Space Force ensures it’ll happen.” Or as your article put it (11): “Militarization of the expanse could lead to countries abandoning the terms, or even simply the spirit, of the agreement and placing potentially devastating weapons in orbit.” I would rather live without these threats constantly living over my head, so I would rather not have a Space Force. We can not let our unsubstantiated fear of Russia and China drive us into creating Space Force. As the wise Yoda once said, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger; anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering.” Let us follow in Yoda’s small footsteps and not bow down to fear. Ultimately, the Space Force is a misuse of time, money, and energy, that if completed would have drastic consequences.
Deletehttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1rOfdCN5YqOzorTdPZjOCmLKVp4RjqE9bXeEB9-iM-no/edit?usp=sharing
DeleteHere is a link to the comment and the articles used since I had trouble posting the article links.
“I find your lack of faith disturbing” - Darth Vader
DeleteWhile a 71/100 on the corruption index seems a bit lacking you write that it is 22nd out of the 180 countries ranked. That is pretty good. Especially considering we only dropped out of the top 20 in 2018. Additionally, the GDP for all of the countries ranked above the US combines to not even 15% more than the US GDP. When I wrote “independence of humanity” I was referring to protecting the freedoms that we have in America. This sentence serves to lead into the my writing about importance of space. One can look at my blog post from week 3 (3) for just how valuable space is. I appreciate that you looked at all of my sources and figured that Bank of America’s estimate is triple that of Morgan Stanley. Unfortunately, there is a 7 year difference between the estimates expected dates. While some may be skeptical of tripling in 7 years, Google more than quadrupled in 7 years (4). You mention we have not been provoked. How about this for provocation (5). China shot down one of their own satellites in 2007 and showed that they have power over the US in that domain. It is imperative that the US develops technology so they can retaliate or deter any potential attacks. You also mention that China “is advocating ‘for peaceful use of space.’” Although I would love to believe this rosy message of tranquility for eternity, the only thing happening for eternity is Xi Jinping's rule over China (6). Last year and 9 days ago they decided to let him rule indefinitely, 2958 to 2. I am not saying that it is rigged, I just caution you to be careful about the reliability of their government. More examples of not so nice Chinese behavior are (7, 8, 9, 10). Next, you claim that the Cold War was solved by diplomacy and common sense. Unless you consider destroying an empire consisting of ⅙ of the world’s land (11) common sense, I would say common sense was not involved. Additionally, one of the main reasons for the Soviet fall was crashing oil prices. Oil prices fell by almost half from the start of Mikhail Gorbachev’s term to the end which heavily contributed to a lack of funds. Another main factor was the policies implemented by Gorbachev including perestroika and glasnost. It is clear that diplomacy and common sense did not end the Cold War. You go on to say that if diplomacy does not work we will start world war three by nuking Russia or China. I agree that neither country will declare war on us which makes me wonder why we should not innovate and gain back our technological advantage. Your next point is that 13 billion dollars is too much money and that there are better uses. This 13 billion would be about 1% of the budget for the Department of Defense if it was enacted which is pretty low considering the other 99% are split among 6 main branches and OCO funding. The Space Command will currently receive 800 million over the next 5 years and some believe it is a precursor or first step to the future Space Force. Even though I did cite NTK network (16 for me, 11 for you) I would never be so brazen as to quote it. I only used it as inspiration for further research. The article does not submit any sources, information on the authors, and the media bias page (17) rates its factual reporting as “mixed.” In sourcing information you mention that your source (18 for me, 7 for you) is unreliable and biased. Both of these suspect sources make large claims not backed up with facts. Ultimately, Russia and China are real threats to the US and the implementation of a Space Force is necessary to preserve peace. Han Solo once said, “may the force be with you.” We all know what force he was talking about. https://cdn-images-1.medium.com/max/1200/0*5NaXooGqOjTsfMXw.jpg
1. www.transparency.org/cpi2018
Delete2. bit.ly/2B159RG (GDP list)
3. cwscurrentevents.blogspot.com/2019/02/week-3-2019-space-odyssey.html
4. yhoo.it/2TQ53Ys (Google stock)
5. www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4GVXRSxlmw
6. www.nytimes.com/2018/03/11/world/asia/china-xi-constitution-term-limits.html
7. www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/18/wife-detained-interpol-chief-faces-down-china-grace-meng-hongwei
8. www.reuters.com/article/us-china-economy-data/another-chinese-city-admits-fake-economic-data-idUSKBN1F60I1
9. www.standard.co.uk/tech/chinese-debt-app-wechat-a4046936.html
10. www.reuters.com/article/us-china-credit/china-to-bar-people-with-bad-social-credit-from-planes-trains-idUSKCN1GS10S
Delete11. www.history-world.org/union_of_soviet_socialist_republ.htm
12. www.macrotrends.net/1369/crude-oil-price-history-chart
13. theodora.com/wfb1991/soviet_union/soviet_union_economy.html
14. dod.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/FY2019-Budget-Request-Overview-Book.pdf
15. www.apnews.com/6485550c424444a99f399bbe501aaf88
16. ntknetwork.com/pros-and-cons-of-trumps-space-force/
17. mediabiasfactcheck.com/ntk-network/
18. futurism.com/space-force-arms-race
A US Space Force will effectively defend the country. Although treaties such as the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972 protects satellites from attacks by other countries and deters warfare in space, they may not be enough to ensure peace. Countries such as China and Russia have the capabilities to fight a war in space, which leaves the US very vulnerable. It is possible for China and Russia to disrupt the Air Force's GPS satellites, which is very important for both the military and the functioning of ATM's and the stock market (https://www.politico.com/story/2018/04/06/outer-space-war-defense-russia-china-463067). In addition, they have developed anti-satellite devices (ASATs) that can physically destroy satellites. For example, China destroyed its Fengyun-1C weather satellite using an ASAT combined with a ballistic missile in 2007 (https://www.space.com/3415-china-anti-satellite-test-worrisome-debris-cloud-circles-earth.html). The US has fallen behind on anti-satellite technologies compared to China and Russia, and the creation of a Space Force can help the country develop them. A build up of ASATs and technologies to protect satellites by the US will be the deterrence needed to prevent a space war and protect the country. It is unclear whether Congress will pass Trump's Space Force Initiative. The threat of a space war is urgent to some and not a real concern to others. People might want to use the money for the Space Force for other issues. A consequence of the Space Force will be the cost. The Space Force will need a large sum of money for its projects and may need the help of private corporations such as SpaceX.
ReplyDeleteThe US space force will help our country fight back against all of the evil aliens that come to our earth. The Space Force would be a surrogate for the Avengers (That was a joke). The Space Force would in the long term just kill more people. As other countries start to see US develop these weapons for outer space warfare they themselves would look for new weapons to make to defend their country. If a war broke out who says that they won't use these weapons on a population. I do not think congress will pass this initiative because there is no reason to start out of space warfare and it is just a large waste of money. One benefit is that we would advance our weapons. The consequences would be the impracticality and the large waste of money.
ReplyDeleteA US space force would be essential in defending our country. Currently, the US only spends a meager 0.4% of the $4.7 trillion FY 2020 federal budget on space exploration, 13% on defense, and 8% on welfare programs. Starvation, poverty, disease, and other worldwide issues have occurred throughout history yet no one has been able to make any huge contributions to cure/stop all these disastrous events. They are debated and discussed year after year, and they are extremely slow in yielding tangible results. China and Russia have been developing their own ASAT’s and have the power to attack our satellites. According to (https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-anti-satellite-test), “China caused an international uproar in January 2007 when it destroyed one of its own satellites, an action that left hundreds of pieces of dangerous debris in space and led to alarm over the possibility of a space arms race. A month later, Beijing announced it plans no further similar tests, but the test had already established the growing prowess of China’s space program as well as its capability to protect itself from satellite surveillance in the event of war”. While Russia and China are continuing to create more advanced anti-satellite technologies, the Us has been falling behind. With this new space force, the US may be able to regain its position in space and successfully defend against any possible attacks from other countries. I agree with my peers about how it is unclear whether or not Congress will pass such a costly initiative because of the current divide in the government. The main consequence of such a huge project would be its cost and time. This project would need numerous experiments, which would all cost a lot of money. This project may also not be completed in the next 10 years due to our limited technology.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.space.com/president-trump-space-force-directive.html
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/10/space-force-everything-you-need-to-know
I believe the US Space force would effectively defend our country. A new service would theoretically ensure that there’s a branch of service focused 100 percent on space. A Space Force could include early warning for nuclear missile launches against the United States, and could also operate space-based early warning and tracking missions for satellites that fall out of orbit and back into Earth’s atmosphere.
ReplyDeletehttps://militarybenefits.info/space-force/
However, there's also many serious issues that come with the US Space Force. It could increase the amount of man-made objects in space and create potential hazards for future space exploration. Although Trump may want the Space Force project to be implemented, I believe Congress would disagree and think otherwise.
A US Space force would not only be totally epic, it would also help defend our country and ensure security amongst our citizens. The US is the best country in the world, and we should stay this way for ever. That means that is China and Russia are creating space forces, we shouldn't give them any leverage over us. I think it is important for us to stay on top of the game because it is essential not to fall behind other world superpowers in a domain that has so many capabilities. I do think that Congress will pass this initiative because it is very cool and help us push our technological capabilities. It may cost a lot of money, but if the take some of the money that is supposed to go to the border wall, and reallocate it to the space force, we will probably have enough. The only negative is the cost. It will cost a lot of money but it seems quite necessary, more necessary than a border wall because Russia and China are more dangerous to this country than Mexican immigrants. The only problem I have with this idea is the fact it will be separate from the air force. According to and article from the Gardian, "There is no independent military branch focused on space, but there is a sizable space command within the air force." The air force is already transitioning to outer-space, and it would make a lot of sence to let them have the space force because they already have the people and equipment to create it. The idea of making an entire separate branch seems confusing, aside from that, they would have to start from scratch when the air force already has a lot of the resources needed in order to create a space force. Overall however, I think the idea is a great idea and should be implemented.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/10/space-force-everything-you-need-to-know
Michael Sipes
ReplyDeleteA US Space force would not only be totally epic, it would also help defend our country and ensure security amongst our citizens. The US is the best country in the world, and we should stay this way for ever. That means that is China and Russia are creating space forces, we shouldn't give them any leverage over us. I think it is important for us to stay on top of the game because it is essential not to fall behind other world superpowers in a domain that has so many capabilities. I do think that Congress will pass this initiative because it is very cool and help us push our technological capabilities. It may cost a lot of money, but if the take some of the money that is supposed to go to the border wall, and reallocate it to the space force, we will probably have enough. The only negative is the cost. It will cost a lot of money but it seems quite necessary, more necessary than a border wall because Russia and China are more dangerous to this country than Mexican immigrants. The only problem I have with this idea is the fact it will be separate from the air force. According to and article from the Gardian, "There is no independent military branch focused on space, but there is a sizable space command within the air force." The air force is already transitioning to outer-space, and it would make a lot of sence to let them have the space force because they already have the people and equipment to create it. The idea of making an entire separate branch seems confusing, aside from that, they would have to start from scratch when the air force already has a lot of the resources needed in order to create a space force. Overall however, I think the idea is a great idea and should be implemented.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/10/space-force-everything-you-need-to-know
I believe that the congress will pass president Trump's Space
ReplyDeleteforce initiative. Building a sixth military branch insures the safely and security of the U.S and it also lets other countries know not to mess with us. Building this military branch in space is way more important. Space is such necessity to countries because it holds the future of human existence. This would benefit our country, by allowing for further research and exploration into space. Many discoveries have led to revolutionary technologies such as GPS, solar cells, ultraviolet filters, and weather predictions. The military branch could also be used to spy on other countries. In the face of war, we could have the advantage because of intel provided by the military. The congress really has no reason to disapprove of this initiative.
Though the thought of having a space force is interesting and futuristically sci-fi prominent, I don’t see a necessity in spending money towards building one, at least for now. I agree with Emily’s post in which the whole idea of a space force is just a waste of money; in reality, we could be spending that large sum to greater issues such as important scientific researches and efforts to alleviate unemployment. I also believe that acting on such an initiative can cause other countries to try to start their own space forces, similar to the space race during the Cold War, in which one country reaching space, caused another to try to achieve even more.
ReplyDeleteLink: https://www.space.com/president-trump-space-force-directive.html
I believe that a space force will definitely help defend attacks on our country. Even if Russia and China are bluffing, which could very well be true, if our country could develop a machine of defense for our satellites and space equipment, the chance of a country being able to destroy something like that is much less likely. I believe that country will pass Trump's Space Force Initiative because the cost came out to be much lower, and it is always better to have more military. But, if it's not passed now, I definitely believe an initiative much like Trump's will be passed in the future. This is because as time goes on, technology advances, and so does the exploration of space. If this goes through, I feel the Space Force should be categorized as apart of the Air Force because it will continue giving the Air Force just as much of a say.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.defensenews.com/space/2018/12/20/trumps-new-space-force-to-reside-under-department-of-the-air-force/
I think a space force could be effective depending on how much is invested into it. Although they could detect missiles and attacks early, it would still be hard to counter a missile attack if they were to target satellites. I think Congress may base their decision on passing or not passing the initiative based on how it would theoretically work and how effective it would be. I think it could bring more chaos to the world as a consequence due to other countries targeting satellites that may be non-military. However, I think it could benefit us and help accelerate the development of technology related to space.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the idea of creating a space force. It will give the US a edge on defense and be another deterrent to countries that want to attack. Countries such as China and Russia are already weaponizing space, China experimenting with ASATs and 'soft kill' and Russia already has its own forces in space. As the world superpower, America is expected to set the standard and raise the bar, but we are already falling behind China and Russia. A strong and modern Space Force will show America's ambition and status as the world's superpower.
ReplyDeleteThe idea of a U.S. Space Force can be useful if used correctly. If money that is currently going into the military gets put into research for defense against bombings and satellite destruction, then a space force could be effective. But if the money is instead used to send military troops to space, the effectiveness of this initiative plummets. The idea that we need a Star Wars esque force is absurd. There is a very low chance that congress will approve of the space force seeing as it is seen as an absurd bill by most.
ReplyDeleteOverall I am not entirely sure how good a space force is for this country at this time. I believe that the space force funding could be effective in defending this country, as it states in the additional sources article, some of the funds for the space force are being used to develop a better missile detection system. I think this could be helpful in defending our country since it would allow us better to defend against other countries, which is decently important in these times where there are increased tensions with many other countries that have missiles that could possibly reach us. If used purely for defense, I believe that the Space Force could be effective, but I also believe that it could very likely lead to many other countries developing one as well. This could lead to many developing attacking Space Forces that could seriously endanger everyone in our country. However, overall I feel that the Space Force should not be a priority right now as the threats they are supposed to protect against seem to not be entirely concrete (https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/14/russia-china-developing-destructive-space-weapons-us-intelligence.html). Since this could increase tensions a lot with other countries, I think the funds should be lessened at first possibly and put into other things due to it not being that needed right now.
ReplyDeleteWhile I do understand why, at some point with the continually growth of the space industry, a space force will be important, I don’t think that it’s currently necessary and could potentially cause more harm than good. Right now, it’s relatively peaceful in the space industry. Outer Space doesn’t belong to one specific country, but rather all of humankind and those who dare to explore It. Implementing another another military branch may cause tension between the countries and create an unnecessary space race. If the US were to have power in the skies, other countries would want to expand their power too. As demonstrated in the Cold War, when one or more countries attempt to display more power over the other, a stalemate is usually created with MAD (mutually assured destruction). There is already a lot of tension going on in the world (i.e. Israeli-Pakistan crisis, terrorist attacks, etc.) and creating more tension with an necessary military branch is not a good idea and will lead to more harm than good. Additionally, the cost of a space force is huge and to build one without reason would be an unwise use of money. If, at some point, a space force becomes necessary, then we can build one. But the cost (literally and metaphorically) a space force would have on not only America, but the world is too great right now. We should worry about solving current problems than causing more.
ReplyDeleteThis all being said, I don’t think the Space Force will get through congress because of the detrimental impact it will have on the rest of the world. Since Democrats are in majority in Congress, I believe they will most likely not see the “need” for the space force like Trump and the republicans do.