Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., pumped the brakes on President Trump’s plan to create a separate Space Force military branch on Monday, saying he has to go to Congress first.
“The president told a U.S. general to create a new Space Force as 6th branch of military today, which generals tell me they don’t want,” tweeted Nelson, a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “Thankfully, the president can’t do it without Congress because now is NOT the time to rip the Air Force apart. Too many important missions at stake,” Nelson tweeted.
Nelson, who once traveled to space, has been a staunch opponent of the new service since it was proposed by House lawmakers last year. But his assessment could be a preview of what Trump might face from other members of Congress who will want a legislative role in the major new policy.
The House and Senate armed services committees are in charge of writing an annual defense bill that directs military policy, including space. Last year’s National Defense Authorization Act required the Pentagon to study the creation of the new service and the 2019 bill proposed by the House lays some of the organizational groundwork for a future Space Force.
The Republican majority on the House Armed Services Committee, which supports the change, believes Trump has the authority to begin the reorganization for the new service, according to a committee aide. But Congress would likely need to be involved at some point to formalize the new service, provide funding and potentially confirm leadership, the aide said.
Trump will need lawmakers to authorize the new Space Force, said Todd Harrison, director of the Aerospace Security Project and Defense Budget Analysis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“No, you cannot create a new military service without congressional authorization, but what he can do is tell the military to start preparing for that, to start planning for it,” he said.
Trump has publicly touted a Space Force at least twice in the past and Congress has signaled it might move in that direction with the NDAA legislation, Harrison said.
“So, the president is basically stepping into a debate that was already going on in Congress and he seems to be offering a full-throated endorsement for the creation of a Space Force,” he said.
Trump seemed to sidestep the debate between the House and Pentagon on Monday when he announced at a National Space Council meeting at the White House that he has ordered the creation of the Space Force to maintain American dominance in space.
“Very importantly, I’m hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces. That’s a big statement,” Trump said.
Trump called on Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to carry out the order. Dunford then replied, “We got it.”
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis had recently said the Pentagon will not fully understand how to solve the issues with space until it completes two reviews, including an independent assessment on creating a Space Force that is due to Congress in December.
The Air Force handles about 80 percent of military space operations and has strongly opposed the new service in the past. It referred all questions to the Pentagon, which did not immediately comment on Trump’s announcement.
