President Donald Trump announced Monday that he would order the Defense Department to form a new “space force†as the sixth military branch in order to maintain U.S. dominance in space, The Washington Post reported Monday.
Trump said Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, would lead the establishment of the space force, which would be equal but separate from the U.S. Air Force.
Dunford’s staff issued a statement saying the general’s office will collaborate with Defense Secretary James Mattis, other DoD officials and Congress to carry out the president’s guidance.
Dunford and Mattis are both 2018 Wash100 recipients.
Trump announced the new service branch during the third meeting of the National Space Council and signing of a new directive that would direct federal agencies to work with industry to introduce a new space traffic management framework.
The Space Policy Directive-3 provides new guidelines for space debris monitoring in the Earth’s orbit and for satellite development and operation, the report added.
The new policy came nearly a month after Trump signed the Space Policy Directive-2 that aims to introduce reforms to commercial space regulations.