Trump's 'Space Force' comments contradict Pentagon, but may align with OMB

President Trump's comments this week in support of a "Space Force" appear to be a departure from the Defense Department's and his own administration's stance on recent congressional proposals, however they may align with a recent report from the Office of Management and Budget on space organizational reform that found merit in the creation of a separate space service. 

During a March 13 speech at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, CA, in which he was discussing space as a warfighting domain, Trump said, in what appeared to be an off-the-cuff statement, "We may even have a Space Force, develop another one, a Space Force. We have the Air Force, we'll have the Space Force."

Congress has proposed creating a separate Space Corps that would report to the Air Force, and DOD leaders have strongly opposed the idea, saying it adds bureaucracy and would harm efforts to better integrate space with other operating domains.

However, as Inside Defense previously reported, the White House's Office of Management and Budget has indicated it may be supportive of major space organizational reform. In a December report signed by director Mick Mulvaney, OMB states that as the space domain becomes increasingly contested, it is "not only prudent but also necessary to consider significant organizational options, like a Space Force."

"There are many key differences between the air and space domains that raise doubts that the organization models should be the same," the report states. "A clean organizational slate would allow a DOD space culture to germinate in a way best fitting these unique features and likely speed the integration of non-Air Force space forces."

Congress fell short of dictating the creation of a separate space service in the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act; however, lawmakers did direct DOD to create a plan to transition to that construct. House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-AL) has led the effort and has said he expects the transition will occur within three to five years.