President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order creating a new “Space Command,” in addition to the “Space Force” he has gleefully discussed.
Vice President Mike Pence may make the announcement Tuesday during a visit to the Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, The Associated Press reports. Pence is also scheduled to visit the Pentagon on Tuesday.
Space Command would be a major U.S. Command. The U.S. Military already has 10 major combatant commands, including Central Command (CENTCOM) and Cyber Command.
“The move would actually recreate a U.S. Space Command, which existed from 1985 to 2002. It was disbanded in the aftermath of the 9/11 terrorist attacks,” The AP reports, adding, that Space Command’s functions “were absorbed by U.S. Strategic Command, and the Air Force retained its lead role in space through Air Force Space Command.”
The need for a U.S. Space Command, given there is already an Air Force Space Command, which is sometimes referred to as the U.S. Space Command, is unknown.
Image of original US Space Command emblem via Wikimedia