House Votes to Establish Space Corps Within Air Force
SpaceNews reports the House Armed Services Committee has voted in a favor of establishing a United States Space Corps within the Air Force.
The proposal is similar to what the committee proposed in the 2018 NDAA, including the name of the new space service, U.S. Space Corps, rather than the Trump administration’s preferred name, U.S. Space Force.
Like the Marine Corps, the Space Corps would be led by a four-star Commandant who would be a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The HASC amendment will have to be reconciled with the language in the Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the 2020 NDAA, which authorizes a U.S. Space Force led by a four-star Commander.
The Space Corps will have personnel and assets transferred by the Air Force but may not include the personnel or assets of the National Reconnaissance Office or the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.
The House and Senate measures fall short of the Trump Administration’s goal of establishing a Space Force as a sixth branch of the U.S. Armed Services.
11 responses to “House Votes to Establish Space Corps Within Air Force”
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It’ll be VERY interesting to see how this plays out vis-à-vis everything from service academies to annual funding to interservice rivalries to general respect to mission creep. Will they be able to show a sufficiently robust capability that validates their independence? How is NASA gonna look at Space Corps/Force cooperation versus other services? Colorado is already a ‘space state’ in the same way San Diego is ‘navy town’ or Alabama is an ‘army state’. This will only deepen those ties, but USAFA is still right there. USSC/F isn’t large enough to support its own service academy, how will that work out? When do they start clamoring for an ‘operational capability’ (astros), cuz you KNOW it’s gonna happen! Army/navy/AF/marine backers abound in Congress, who will step up to advocate for the new kid on the block?
Blue Angles/Thunderbirds/Golden Knights – what is THEIR demonstration team!?!?!?!?!!?!??!!?!??!??
Even after the ink is dry, this’ll take a long time to play out.
Looks like there’s already been a leak of The Space Corps in their basement lair 2000 feet below The Pentagon with the backup in a Hollywood Sound Studio as well as one in England. Note the bimodal physical fitness standards that result from hours sitting in front of terminals running Satellite Tool Kit either undernourished or overernourished.
Dust off and nuke the place from orbit, it’s the only way to be sure.
I anticipate major advances in carpal tunnel injury treatment though as casualties mount
That ain’t no lie. I owe the Iraqi war and all those truck drivers who stepped off their truck cabs wrong with 100+ lbs of body armor and liquefied their tendons, my ability to walk. They taught a cadre of physical therapists the exercises needed to recover and prevent those kinds of injuries from occurring again. Otherwise I’d have to have had my ankles locked up and I’d walk with a cane. Those Iraq trained physical therapists got me through a major injury to the point where I can keep my exercise regimen going, control my weight, and avoid surgery. It’s a great joke you’ve made, but man, it rings true so so true.
Glad to hear you were able to get the treatment you needed. Not being able to walk right is no good, that’s for sure.
Also, carpal tunnel ain’t no joke 🙁
“Will they be able to show a sufficiently robust capability that validates their independence?”
That will depend largely on the response of the PLASSF, which seems to have been counting on a Clinton Administration to block any sort of response to their experiments at disabling MilSpace assets. “The enemy always gets a vote!”
” How is NASA gonna look at Space Corps/Force cooperation versus other services?”
Since the 1972 change to NASA’s charter forbids their participation in any military activity *in* Space, they will still be limited to sharing technology developments, …at least those that Senator Shelby allows NASA to fund.
“When do they start clamoring for an ‘operational capability’ (astros), cuz you KNOW it’s gonna happen!”
Whenever PLASSF and the Russian “Space Troops” gain the capability to make it too hot in LEO, MEO, and GEO, and US Space Command have to have sensor systems beyond EML-1, then speed-of-light latency will begin to make dynamic maneuvering far harder, so you must move the operators closer to the altitudes of the sensor assets, in Space. The underlying Service logistical backup is what Space Corps/Force will provide for that. Whether the operators, and their chauffeurs/pilots will then be directly under US Space Command, or under Space Corps/Force is not yet determined. I predict much experimentation.
“Even after the ink is dry, this’ll take a long time to play out.”
Indeed, I expect most of the rest of this century will pass before this new Service has a stable view of itself and its full role.
Re: “what is THEIR demonstration team!?!?!?!?!!?!??!!?!??!??”
USSC White Dragons!
Is that the name of their DnD club?
Lol. Probably
The Marines don’t have a service academy either so I think Space Corps will also be able to manage without one.