ESTABLISHING THE SPACE FORCE: President Donald J. Trump’s Space Policy Directive-4 is a bold, strategic step toward guaranteeing American space dominance that sets the framework for establishing the United States Space Force.
- Space Policy Directive-4 calls on the Secretary of Defense to develop a legislative proposal establishing the Space Force as the sixth branch of the Armed Forces.
- The Space Force will initially be established within the Department of the Air Force.
- The legislative proposal will embody President Trump’s vision for the Space Force by requiring this new branch of the Armed Forces to:
- Strengthen America’s ability to compete, deter and win in an increasingly contested domain.
- Organize, train and equip our space warfighters with next-generation capabilities.
- Maximize warfighting capability and advocacy for space while minimizing bureaucracy.
A VITAL NATIONAL INTEREST: Our use of space is necessary to keep our country safe, protect lives, and support our way of life.
- The United States is the best in space, and our adversaries know it.
- Space is a key source of strategic advantage for the United States, and potential foreign adversaries are determined to restrict our access to it.
- America has the most capable military in the world, but we must address the looming threats from foreign adversaries in space to maintain our leadership and outpace competitors.
- America will always seek peace through strength, and we will work with our allies and partners to secure that peace in space.
- United States space forces will be ready to win in a competitive multi-domain environment against increasingly competitive adversaries.
- To meet and deter challenges in space, Space Policy Directive-4:
- Launches a joint interagency review by the National Space Council and the National Security Council to recommend changes to space operational authorities in order to address the threats posed by foreign adversaries.
- Requires the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community to create collaborative mechanisms to improve space capabilities and operations.
LEADING IN A NEW WARFIGHTING DOMAIN: President Trump knows warfare is changing—space is now a warfighting domain just like the air, land and sea.
- No branch of the Armed Forces has been created since the United States Air Force was established in 1947, more than 70 years ago. The world has changed significantly since then.
- Establishing the Space Force is critical to preparing the Department of Defense for the evolving warfighting environments of the twenty-first century.
- President Trump is dedicated to protecting the Nation and preparing America’s military to deter and defeat threats in space.
