MIKE PENCE/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump will order in the coming days the establishment of a new military space command, a move that comes as Vice President Mike Pence plans two high-profile visits related to the US space program, three US officials tell CNN. Pence will visit Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral on Tuesday [12-18-18], and is expected to visit the Pentagon this week, in part to discuss Trump’s sought-after Space Force. The new Space Command will be only the 11th combined combatant command, joining the ranks of Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East, and Special Operations Command, which oversees elite troops known as Special Operations Forces. The White House did not respond to requests for comment. A defense official familiar with the planned announcement told CNN that Trump is expected to announce the establishment of Space Command on Tuesday, and that Deputy Secretary of Defense Pat Shanahan and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Paul Selva will brief key members of the House and Senate Armed Services committees and Defense Appropriations subcommittees.”
–Ryan Browne and Elizabeth Landers, “Trump to launch Space Command this week as Pence promotes space efforts,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, December 17, 2018 4:47 pm