President Trump signed a directive laying out plans to establish a Space Force.
“With today’s action we will ensure that our people are secure, our interests are protected and our power continues to be unmatched,” Trump said during the signing ceremony Tuesday. “The Space Force is a very important part of my administration.”
The next steps for Space Policy Directive-4, in establishing the Space Force, will be to submit a legislative proposal to Congress to seek the authority and funds to establish the sixth branch of the U.S. military.
It is not clear if Congress will support the plan, especially with Democrats controlling the House, but Trump said that he expects support from the legislature for the directive.
Trump announced in June 2018 that he was going to direct the Department of Defense to establish the Space Force to protect American interests in outer space.
The announcement, made during a meeting of the National Space Council, came as a surprise to many, but at the time, Trump said that it would be “great not only in terms of jobs and everything else, it’s great for the psyche of our country.”
He also said the Space Force would monitor commercial traffic and debris in space.
[Related: Pentagon puts price tag on Space Force]
