Democratic Rep. Jared Huffman has introduced a bill that would disband the Space Force.
Cosponsored by other far-left Democrats such as Rashida Tlaib and Maxine Waters, the logic behind the bill is weak. Huffman says, “The long-standing neutrality of space has fostered a competitive, non-militarized age of exploration.” He wants the new military branch to be enveloped back into the Air Force. This will allow the nation to “turn our attention back to where it belongs: addressing urgent domestic and international priorities like battling COVID-19, climate change, and growing economic inequality.”
This is unserious stuff.
The Space Force exists for a simple reason: The security of the United States and its allies is increasingly dependent on space. The issue here is not UFOs (although monitoring of those objects does form part of the Space Force’s mission set). The issue is Chinese and Russian efforts to deploy weapons and sensor systems (such as satellites) into Earth’s orbit so as to hold the U.S. at risk. The reality of space in 2021 is very different from the “neutrality of space” fiction offered by Huffman.
China is building an array of stealth satellites with which to help conduct saturation ballistic missile attacks on U.S. aircraft carriers and military bases. Russia has deployed satellite-killer weapons which could destroy U.S. satellites, potentially blinding U.S. military forces and their link to commanders. Under the cover of a civilian satellite program, Iran is building ballistic missiles that it could use to deploy nuclear warheads. North Korea has built submarines capable of deploying nuclear-armed ballistic missiles. These concerns have nothing to do with “COVID-19, climate change, and growing economic inequality,” but that doesn’t mean they can be ignored. On the contrary, to ignore them would be to invite calamity. If adversaries are seizing the initiative to turn space to their own military advantages, the U.S. must do the same.
The establishment of the Space Force has allowed for a specific professional service dedicated to space. This enables the more effective use of relevant capabilities and a more efficient means by which to serve government policy. The complexity of space-related missions requires a force solely dedicated to them. The Air Force’s prior handling of space as just one subset of its broader mission set meant that inadequate focus and skills were applied to the domain. Considering the stakes involved in space-related security, the Space Force’s $18 billion budget is a good deal. Moreover, the Air Force should accrue savings as it transfers capabilities and responsibilities to the new service.
Hoffman’s bill is likely to go nowhere fast. But that doesn’t make the congressman’s delusions any less worrisome. Our adversaries will certainly welcome his leadership on this issue.
