There is an honest debate to be had over whether the United States needs a separate armed service that's focused on space. But President Donald Trump's critics are having none of it.
Instead, they have responded to the very notion of a Space Force with dismissive ridicule, suggesting that he wants a corps of ray-gun equipped Buzz Lightyears shouting: "To infinity and beyond!"
That's not what he wants, and the concept deserves to be treated seriously. A Space Force, done right, could be well worth having.
No one doubts that Americans--civilians as well as military personnel--are heavily dependent on what we have in space. Assets up there do everything from make the Internet work to detect the flight path of ballistic missiles. Our space-based assets inform our weather forecasts and help guide us to our destinations with GPS.
Just as there is no doubt about our reliance on the things we've put in space, there is no doubt that these valuable assets are vulnerable to everything from cyber attacks to satellites being shot down by hostile powers. And no serious analyst questions the growing capability of Russia and China to wage war in space.
One more consideration: It's getting crowded up there. Space is becoming increasingly accessible to an increasing number of nations--and even some non-state actors.
The honest debate we need to have is whether it makes sense to redesign the government's byzantine space-program organizational chart so that control of the acquisition, deployment and operation of space assets is consolidated under an independent military service.
One key consideration is "opportunity costs." Are the time, effort and resources required to pluck the various space-related programs from the other services--and some civilian agencies--worth the benefits to be gained by consolidation?
It's a 50-50 proposition, but there are good reasons to argue this is a good idea.
For thousands of years, military wisdom has held that if you want to fight and win in a physical domain, you ought to have a core of professionals who are schooled, experienced and expert in that domain.
If there is logic in having domain-specific air, space and sea services, there is logic in having a space service.
A more important argument is that this will send a powerful and unmistakable message to the world that American intends to be a world-class space power--for a long time. It's time for America to think big again--to step ahead rather than watch others catch up.
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A Heritage Foundation vice president, James Jay Carafano directs the think tank's research into issues of national security and foreign affairs.
Editorial on 08/20/2018