Language Included In Annual Defense Authorization Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives continues to press for the creation of a U.S. Space Command, which would be a subunit of the U.S. Strategic Command.

The Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) told Capitol Hill reporters Wednesday that he supports the language in the House version of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2019 that creates the command, according to a report from Space News. The U.S. Senate is still working on its version of the NDAA, and it is not known if the Space Command will be included in that version. The Senate is still debating the bill, and any differences would have to be worked out by a conference committee.

Thornberry said he hopes to have the bill reported out of conference by the end of July.

The White House has said that creating a Space Command at this time in premature. The Defense Department is currently working on a study to determine if the military should create a separate Space Corps. In a statement, the White House said "“The Department currently is conducting a review of its space organizational and management structure as required by section 1601 of the FY 2018 NDAA. Once complete, the administration will review these findings and deliver the required report and consult with Congress.”

President Trump has repeatedly expressed his support for what he has called a "Space Force".

Thornberry said that that while organizational changes do not fix all problems, but says the can "help make sure space gets the kind of priority it should have, like cyber, as a domain of warfare.”

The House committee included the Space Command in the NDAA last year, but it was removed at the end of the negotiations between the House and Senate. The language included this year creates a U.S. Space Command in the same model as the U.S. Cyber Command.

(Image from C-SPAN video)

FMI: Original report