Former Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work has said creating a new Space Command under the Pentagon will help address concerns about President Trump’s idea to establish a Space Force, Space News reported Monday.
Work noted during a panel discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies that reorganizing the Pentagon to form a Space Command, Space Operations Force and Space Development Agency will not be a “disruptive†step towards creating the proposed sixth service branch.
He added that the Pentagon has not allocated an initial budget for the Space Force as it will have to compete with other factions for funds.
Space funds are also typically shared by multiple departments.
“There are as many congressional proponents for spending more money on cyber as there are in space,†the former defense official said.
However, Work explained that DoD officials have paid attention to space even during the Obama administration, even though the government that time refused to open discussions about space warfare.
He also noted that the Obama administration did not receive as many resources for space as it requested in the defense budget.