A bipartisan pair of House members announced Wednesday that they have revived the Space Power Caucus, a group of lawmakers focused on promoting the role of space operations in national security.
“Our national security is at risk in space, for a variety of reasons, and it is vital that members of Congress understand the importance of space for our nation’s safety, security and prosperity. The United States must maintain our asymmetric advantage in space and that won’t happen without congressional support and oversight,” said Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., co-chairman of the caucus with Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.
Threats to U.S. leadership in space became evident last year amid the crisis with Russia over Ukraine. The U.S. relies on Russian-made rocket engines to launch its spy satellites, and the company that makes them is controlled by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, one of several Russian officials sanctioned by Washington for their roles in Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Pentagon officials want to eliminate U.S. reliance on Russian hardware, but say the effort will take time.
“Space-based platforms are instrumental in alerting us to a variety of conventional and unconventional threats, allowing us to monitor hotspots around the world and to provide crucial intelligence on missile launches and nuclear detonations,” said Schiff, ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee.
The caucus existed in the past, but was not active in the 113th Congress.
