Article

2019-12-10 Government

Agreement on a US Spaceforce under the Air Force.

[SpaceNews] NDAA conference agreement establishes U.S. Space Force, directs major overhaul of space acquisitions

The NDAA also establishes an Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy as the senior civilian in the Office of the Secretary of Defense
WASHINGTON — Congressional defense committee leaders on Dec. 9 unveiled the conference agreement they have reached for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.

The conference report includes language to authorize a U.S. Space Force as an independent military branch under the Department of the Air Force.

“The FY20 NDAA recognizes space as a warfighting domain and establishes the U.S. Space Force in Title 10 as the sixth Armed Service of the United States, under the U.S. Air Force,” says a summary of the report released by the committees Dec. 9.

The language in the NDAA marks a key victory for the Trump administration. In a Dec. 6 deal, the White House agreed to grant 12 weeks of paid parental leave to all federal workers in exchange for the Space Force authorization. The parental leave provision was a top priority for Democrats while the White House has been insistent that any deal should include language to authorize the Space Force.

The House is expected to vote on the compromise bill on Dec. 11. The Senate will take it up at a later date.

Gen Raymond is excited

Posted by 3dc 2019-12-10 00:00|| || Front Page|| [11142 views ] Top

#1 Hey, all the SciFi canon says Navy rank, what gives? [other than the recent record of running ships into each other]

Posted by Procopius2k 2019-12-10 06:11|| 2019-12-10 06:11|| Front Page Top

#2 ^Temporary, one hopes. But, actions have consequences

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2019-12-10 06:24|| 2019-12-10 06:24|| Front Page Top

#3 The parental leave provision was a top priority for Democrats while the White House has been insistent that any deal should include ...

So there is quid pro quo within governance all the time ?

Posted by Dron66046 2019-12-10 07:02|| 2019-12-10 07:02|| Front Page Top

#4 Only way to get them to stop building planes that don't fly.

Posted by Skidmark 2019-12-10 10:11|| 2019-12-10 10:11|| Front Page Top

#5 Yeah - now they will build spacecraft which won't fly - but will cost a bundle.

Posted by CrazyFool 2019-12-10 10:15|| 2019-12-10 10:15|| Front Page Top

#6 ...merging with NASA?

Posted by Procopius2k 2019-12-10 13:48|| 2019-12-10 13:48|| Front Page Top

#7 ...merging with NASA?

There's an idea.

Posted by Lex 2019-12-10 14:14|| 2019-12-10 14:14|| Front Page Top

#8 I'm still waiting for D. D. Harriman.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2019-12-10 16:16|| 2019-12-10 16:16|| Front Page Top

#9 I'm still waiting for Zefram Cochrane.

As for the Navy thing -- they are space ships.

'sides, there's no air in space.

Posted by JHH 2019-12-10 19:01|| 2019-12-10 19:01|| Front Page Top

#10 Meh. Doesn't have the cachet of Space Marines.

Posted by Snusotle the Lesser4227 2019-12-10 20:17|| 2019-12-10 20:17|| Front Page Top

#11 This whole subject is kind of confusing, so let me try to tease it apart.

The current space command is part of the Air Force, so a General is in charge. In the future the space command will be basically unchanged and still be run out of Peterson Air Base in Colorado. And be run by a 4 star officer from some service just like CENTCOM, CYBERCOM, or EUCOM.

The new Space Force will be a force generator, like the Department of the Navy, with a civilian Secretary. That whole thing will be based out of Alabama (I predict) and be set up in a building near by NASA's facilities there. He/She will manage a few thousand Space Force officers and enlisted scattered around the globe, who currently are in the Air Force and run our Space assets and manage the programs that build new space capabilities. These soldiers/sailors will be Joint force enablers embedded in key HQ elements throughout the force.

The whole point of this new organization is to separate the budget for space ops from the budget for the air force, because the air force has been reallocating the space budget to the fighter mafia for decades, which has allowed other nations to begin to threaten U.S. space dominance.

I am very glad to see this development. I hope we don't screw it up too bad in the implementation.

Posted by rammer 2019-12-10 21:00|| 2019-12-10 21:00|| Front Page Top

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