CONGRESS/MILITARY/SPACE FORCE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump will sign a directive on Tuesday [[2-19-19] to establish a new branch of the military dedicated to space but instead of being a fully independent department it will remain part of the Air Force to assuage concerns in Congress, a senior administration official told POLITICO. The presidential directive, formally called Space Policy Directive 4, will set the groundwork for a subsequent legislative proposal for Congress, which will have the final say over what has been a signature military objective since Trump announced his intentions nearly a year ago.The U.S. Space Force would be the first new military branch since the U.S. Air Force was established out of the Army Air Corps in 1947 — and it will be structured similarly to how the Marine Corps falls under the Department of the Navy. The initial startup cost for the Space Force is expected to be less than $100 million, the official said. It will include a four-star general as its chief of staff, who will also serve on the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and its top civilian will be a new undersecretary for space. The approach falls short of Trump’s earlier claims that the Space Force would be co-equal with the Army, Navy and Air Force.”
–Jacqueline Klimas, “Trump to approve lean Space Force,” Politico, February 18, 2019 9:40 pm