Space Farce: Donald Trump’s “Space Force” spirals out of control
Scott Kelly, retired NASA Astronaut, commented on CNN today about Mike Pence’s announcement regarding the White House’s intention to create a Space Force by the year 2020. Kelly, who seems more down to earth than Trump, had a rueful look at the idea, and he intimated that priority should be given to problems here on terra firma, like cyberterrorism. Mr. Kelly seemed to share a popular opinion, which is, Space Force is not a necessary step at this time. That Space Force is another grandiose and ill-thought out idea by Donald Trump which will cost taxpayers billions of dollars, became evident as they spoke about their plans to add a sixth branch to the military.
Space Force may be fun to say or may send a certain little thrill up the spine, but the reality of what Trump and Pence are proposing falls way short of our imagination. It really means the threat of war is escalating, literally, to above our heads. Warmongers like Putin and Kim Jong-un glorify military might and strength through tyrannical rule, and new hypersonic missile technology wants to take the war to space.
However, we aren’t there yet. Yes, there are threats that need to be addressed, but a sixth branch of the military is not the answer. Instead of opposing and defending space as war free, Trump wants to join the warmongers. This will result in a sharp escalation, globally, in an arms race in space. It is almost difficult to comprehend the endless possibilities of terror if warmongers, including Donald Trump, are allowed to weaponize space. Besides, Trump has plenty on the ground to occupy him, like improving the Missile Defense System, for example.
The dangerous implications of Space Force cannot be understated. No one wants to feel like they live in a police state on the ground, much less have one above your head that could be capable of attacking you with strategic sonic weaponry at any given time. Instead of allowing and encouraging the escalation of the arms race into space, we should work on creating a global space peacekeeping mission. One that is aimed at protecting the space above earth from weapons. Trump says he wants to use Space Force to break free from bureaucratic restrictions. That’s the problem, those restrictions are there for a reason, and that reason looks a lot like Donald Trump. Hopefully Congress hasn’t lost their heads as well.
