Unic Press UK: The United States Defense Secretary, James Mattis, told reporters on Tuesday that the Defense Department is working towards establishing a combatant command for space, in line President Donald Trump’s initiative for a sixth branch of the U.S. armed forces to protect the country’s interests in outer space.
James Mattis
Mattis, who sees the outer space as a possible battlefield, said:
“We need to address space as a developing war fighting domain and a combatant command is certainly one thing that we can establish. This is a process we’re in. We are in complete alignment with the president’s concern about protecting our assets in space to contribute to our security to our economy and we’re going to have to address it as other countries show a capability to attack those assets.”
President Trump had, a few months ago, pointed to his desire to establish a sixth branch in the United States armed forces to take charge of protecting American interests in outer space. At a meeting of the National Space Council On June 18, 2018, President Trump had tasked the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph F. Dunford, with creating another branch of the U.S. armed forces, saying: “General Dunford, if you would carry that assignment out, I would be very greatly honored.”
At this period, the subsisting five branches of the United States armed forces are the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and the Coast Guard.
