Defense News – The Senate Armed Services Committee has approved the establishment of a Space Force in its defense authorization bill, potentially setting up a clash with House lawmakers who have questioned the need for a sixth military branch for space.
“We know space is a warfighting domain, so we are setting up the U.S. Space Force with the Air Force. Our strategy will set the Space Force up for success now and in the future by minimizing bureaucracy,” Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., said in a statement.
Although Senate defense authorizers are backing the formation of new service and will fully fund it at $72.4 million, its proposed structure differs from that put forward in the White House’s legislative proposal.
Under the proposal approved by President Donald Trump, the Space Force would be organized under the Department of the Air Force. It would have a civilian undersecretary of the Air Force for space, who would report to the Air Force secretary. Its highest-ranking military officer, the Space Force chief of staff, would also report to the Air Force secretary and be a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
The SASC proposal, however, does not authorize an undersecretary of the Air Force for space, said a senior committee aide.
