{"id":41140,"date":"2018-12-20T18:25:24","date_gmt":"2018-12-20T18:25:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/12\/20\/trumps-new-space-force-to-reside-under-department-of-the-air-force\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:23:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:23:34","slug":"trumps-new-space-force-to-reside-under-department-of-the-air-force","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/12\/20\/trumps-new-space-force-to-reside-under-department-of-the-air-force\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s new Space Force to reside under Department of the Air Force"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WASHINGTON \u2014 After months of deliberating <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/space\/2018\/08\/09\/space-force-will-be-6th-military-branch-by-2020-vice-president-pence-announces\/\" target=_blank>how to stand up a Space Force<\/a>, a sixth branch of the military proposed by President Donald Trump, Pentagon leaders have decided to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2018\/10\/23\/pentagon-presents-recommendations-on-space-force-to-trump\/\" target=_blank>funnel the new organization under the Department of the Air Force<\/a>, Defense News has learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is established a United States Space Force as an armed force within the Department of the Air Force,\u201d states a draft of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2018\/08\/09\/no-answers-yet-on-cost-structure-of-space-force\/\" target=_blank>legislative proposal due to be put forward alongside the fiscal year 2020 budget <\/a>early next year, which was viewed by Defense News on Dec. 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The new service will be overseen by the newly created undersecretary of the Air Force for the Space Force and a Space Force chief of staff, who will sit on the Joint Chiefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/12\/13\/will-the-space-force-sit-under-the-department-of-the-air-force-the-pentagon-finally-has-an-answer\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3546116.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Will the Space Force sit under the Department of the Air Force? The Pentagon finally has an answer.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">President Donald Trump has been briefed on the way forward.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Although the version of the proposal seen by Defense News is still in draft form and thus subject to change, an administration official with knowledge of discussions said that there is alignment across the Defense Department on keeping the Space Force within the Department of the Air Force.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The document has been circulating among top Pentagon and service leaders, with the intent to hand it off to the Office of Management and Budget next, said one Defense Department official who was not authorized to speak on the record.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The decision is a major victory for the Air Force, which initially stood against attempts to carve out space operations from the service. Although Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson eventually declared her support for the president\u2019s Space Force initiative, keeping the new branch within the Department of the Air Force will allow Air Force leaders to continue to have a voice on military space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A spokesman for Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, who is leading the department\u2019s efforts to create a Space Force proposal, declined to confirm the details of the draft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIn concert with White House guidance, we are moving forward with a legislative proposal for Space Force,\u201d said Lt. Col. Joe Buccino in statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The proposed structure of the new service \u2014 which retains the moniker of Space Force that is favored by Trump \u2014 most closely mirrors the Space Corps proposal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/reagan-defense-forum\/2017\/12\/02\/key-lawmaker-vows-to-continue-space-corps-fight\/\" target=_blank>originally offered by Rep. Mike Rogers<\/a>, the Alabama Republican who chairs the House Armed Services Committee\u2019s strategic forces committee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rogers and others in the House had advocated for a Space Corps that would sit under the Department of the Air Force, similar to the Marine Corps\u2019 existence as an independent service under the Department of the Navy. The measure was passed through the House as part of the 2018 defense policy bill, but failed to make it though the Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/06\/19\/trump-wants-a-space-force-now-what\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-977952058.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Trump wants a Space Force. Now what?<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">How do you build a new military service from scratch?<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, it was seemingly brought back to life stronger than ever when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2018\/06\/18\/trump-orders-creation-of-independent-space-force\/\" target=_blank>Trump directed the Pentagon to stand up a Space Force<\/a>. Trump said this new, independent military branch would be \u201cseparate but equal\u201d to the Air Force, leading defense wonks to speculate that a new Department of the Space Force would be created.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It appears that, after doing its analysis, the Pentagon favors a more modest approach \u2014 one that allows the Air Force to retain a degree of oversight over the Space Force initially, with the idea that it could establish a Department of the Space Force later if the need presented itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Space Force shall be organized, trained and equipped to provide for freedom of operations in, from and to the space domain for the United States and its allies\u201d and \u201cto provide independent military options for joint and national leadership and to enable the lethality and effectiveness of the joint force,\u201d the legislative proposal states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The service, which consists of an active duty component and Space Force Reserves, \u201cincludes both combat and combat support functions to enable prompt and sustained offensive and defensive space operations and joint operations in all domains.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The undersecretary of the Air Force for the Space Force will be responsible for \u201cthe overall supervision\u201d of the new service, but is still subordinate to the Air Force secretary, the legislative proposal states. On the uniformed side, a chief and vice chief of the Space Force would lead the \u201cSpace Staff.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The proposal does not lay out the Space Force\u2019s relationship to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/12\/17\/trump-plans-to-create-unified-us-space-command\/\" target=_blank>newly re-established U.S. Space Command<\/a> or the Space Development Agency, which the Pentagon intends to form to organize the rapid procurement of space technologies. Nor does it spell out the cost of standing up a new space service, a topic that has been hotly debated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/air-force-association\/2018\/09\/17\/air-force-secretary-space-force-will-come-with-13b-in-added-costs\/\" target=_blank>within the Pentagon<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/space\/2018\/11\/19\/space-force-could-cost-fraction-of-air-force-estimates\/\" target=_blank>beyond.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/space\/2018\/11\/15\/heres-what-the-pentagon-thinks-the-actual-cost-of-a-space-force-will-be\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/space-force-Atlas.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Here\u2019s what the Pentagon thinks the actual cost of a Space Force will be<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Hint: It&#039;s less than the $13 billion the Air Force says it needs.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In November, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defenseone.com\/politics\/2018\/11\/white-house-seeks-alternatives-independent-space-force\/153119\/\" target=_blank>Defense One reported<\/a> that the Defense Department was evaluating multiple ways of organizing the Space Force, including as a subordinate organization to the Air Force. This marked a change from its initial mandate to create a wholly independent department, one that Pentagon leaders saw as necessary to appeal to Congress, which gets the final decision on whether to establish a Space Force, the publication wrote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Last week, Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters that the Pentagon had finalized an answer to questions about the organization of a Space Force, and that Trump had been briefed on the proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere were two primary options,\u201d he told reporters Dec. 13. \u201cWe\u2019re now down to one option. I\u2019m really not in a position to disclose what that one option is, but I can tell you that the legislative proposal itself probably tomorrow will start to go through the [Pentagon] for coordination.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vice President Mike Pence was briefed on the way forward during a visit to the Pentagon on Wednesday, <a href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/pence-briefed-on-space-force-proposal-and-other-topics-at-pentagon-meeting\/\" target=_blank>reported Space News<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The new service will be overseen by the newly created undersecretary of the Air Force for the Space Force and a Space Force chief of staff, who will sit on the Joint Chiefs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":52344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":23,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":{"2":{"categories":["your-military","news","pentagon-congress"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"4":{"categories":["your-air-force","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","home","pentagon-congress","left-column","middle-column"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"5":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","middle-column","home","your-army"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"6":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","middle-column","home","your-marine-corps"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"7":{"categories":["pentagon-congress","news","daily-news-roundup","newsletters","middle-column","home","your-navy"],"primary_category":"pentagon-congress"},"9":{"categories":["satellites","c2-comms","home","daily-brief","newsletters"],"primary_category":"satellites"}}},"categories":[7,37,8,160,36,19,23],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3384],"class_list":["post-41140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-air","category-breaking-news","category-congress","category-daily-news-roundup","category-newsletters","category-pentagon","category-space"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"EC6ERLWUZJCBVEGFS6AEPGFIGE","arc_canonical_url":"\/space\/2018\/12\/20\/trumps-new-space-force-to-reside-under-department-of-the-air-force\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Trump\u2019s new Space Force to reside under Department of the Air Force - Defense News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The new service will be overseen by the newly created undersecretary of the Air Force for the Space Force and a Space Force chief of staff, who will sit on the Joint Chiefs.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Trump\u2019s new Space Force to reside under Department of the Air Force\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The new service will be overseen by the newly created undersecretary of the Air Force for the Space Force and a Space 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