Trump goes Star Trek

Trump always fancied having a Space Corps, really to let America's main rivals know that the US military is going to be everywhere. Well, of course, they have been in space for years, but having an actual space corps means the Pentagon will have to focus more sharply on space wars than ever before. It does NOT mean there will be Marines circulating in space - haha - it's not that sort of Space Corps. But in Trump's mind, he wants one four-star military man in charge of space. He has now ordered the Pentagon to get on with it. The US military has relied on strategic systems in space ever since Operation Desert Storm in 1991 when a huge American-led coalition armoured force carried out a left-hook manoeuvre to sneak up behind Saddam Hussein’s Revolutionary Guard, dug in on the Iraq/Kuwait border. The famous left hook was performed at dead of night across more than 150 miles of open desert. It succeeded because of global positioning system (GPS) satellites, guiding the US Abrams battle tanks as they swept through the sand. Twenty-seven years later, the US is more dependent than ever on space-based navigation aids. Every weapon system designed for long-range precision firepower, from missiles to artillery and from armed drones to guided-missile destroyers and carriers are linked to GPS. Today that makes the US military vulnerable because their GPS dependency invites potential big-power enemies to exploit ways of targeting the very systems which have proved so valuable in every war involving America since the 1991 liberation of Kuwait. Both Russia and China have devoted research funds into developing anti-satellite weapons and jamming systems capable of knocking out America’s space-based navigation networks. Pentagon chiefs have been warning of this growing threat for a long time. Adequate funds have had to be found to develop weapons and methods to protect the satellites, and also to devise ways of reducing the reliance on GPS. For example, the US Navy has reverted to teaching sailors how to navigate using the sun, moon and stars. The sextant is back. A space war is a real possibility. It’s for this reason that a debate has been going on about whether the Pentagon should form a self-standing Space Force or Corps that absorbs responsibility for all military systems orbiting the Earth and for developing a comprehensive programme to safeguard satellites from attack. The new corps will be responsible for protecting America’s assets in space to make sure that wars on the ground, in the air and at sea can be prosecuted without fear of suddenly being blinded by crashed navigation systems. James Mattis, the US defence secretary, has always been opposed to the idea of a separate space corps. So, too, is the US Air Force which already controls about 80 satellites and wants to retain responsibility for space. The air force also works closely with the National Reconnaissance Office which operates America’s spy satellites. They complement each other. However, all the US armed services currently have their own designated space commands, each a rival to the other for funds. So, there is a legitimate argument for rationalising the different authorities into a single space force to make sure the right investment is made for the future.