MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Monday [6-18-18] ordered the Pentagon to establish a stand-alone Space Force as a new branch of the armed forces..The move quickly drew some backlash from one key senator, who said the president was overstepping his bounds by unilaterally calling for the creation of a new military service…Jerry Hendrix, a vice president at the defense consulting firm Telemus Group, pointed out it took more than 10 years for the Air Force to be separated from the Army in 1947. So, establishing a Space Force is ‘a really steep hill to climb,’ he said, but predicted the Trump administration could likely move it forward in as little as two years if it really pushed. Defense officials still have to work out the details, like how the new service will be funded and who will staff it. And Hendrix predicted the money and personnel will largely come from the Air Force, which oversees the majority of Pentagon space missions, but that all services could be called on to contribute. At the Pentagon, spokeswoman Dana White said the Defense Department will start work on a ‘deliberate process’ to implement the president’s order.”
-Jacqueline Klimas, “Trump orders creation of a stand-alone Space Force,” Reuters, June 18, 2018 9:45 am