Militarizing Space: Trump administration pushes plans for Space Force despite criticism

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For more than 70 years, the U.S. military has consisted of five branches. But, if the Trump Administration has its way, a sixth service will be created: the U.S. Space Force. Its goal is to establish American space dominance and counter foreign space threats. The Administration fleshed out its plans earlier this week at a conference in Colorado. CGTN's Hendrik Sybrandy has more.

As space industry leaders gathered at this week's Space Symposium in Colorado, the U.S. Defense Secretary issued a stern warning.

PATRICK SHANAHAN ACTING US SECRETARY OF DEFENSE "Weapons are currently deployed by our competitors that can attack our assets in space. Both China and Russia have weaponized space with the intent to hold U.S. space capabilities at risk."

While China and Russia both deny any militarization of space, Patrick Shanahan said a new organization is needed to defend American space interests.

PATRICK SHANAHAN ACTING US SECRETARY OF DEFENSE "Today we need to establish a space force to protect our future."

President Trump unveiled the idea last year. The U.S. Space Force would train and equip 15 to 20,000 personnel drawn from other military services and aim to ensure U.S. military superiority in space, at a cost, Shanahan said, of about half a billion dollars a year.

PATRICK SHANAHAN ACTING US SECRETARY OF DEFENSE "We are not going to sit back and watch. We are going to act."

JIM LIGHT SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR SPACE STRATEGY, SAIC "The threat is real and it's there and we need to react to it as a nation."

Jim Light with the information technology and engineering company SAIC refers to the ability of some countries to target satellites and use other measures to degrade or destroy U.S. space capabilities. A recent anti-satellite missile test conducted by India was yet another reminder, Light says, of how space is becoming more contested and weaponized.

JIM LIGHT SENIOR DIRECTOR FOR SPACE STRATEGY, SAIC "The whole concept of battle management in space is fairly new. And so that's what, you know, the industry is gearing up for its how to help the nation to take on that new mission."

HENDRIK SYBRANDY DENVER, COLORADO "The stakes from the U.S. perspective couldn't be higher. Satellites are critical to the economy, to things like Earth-bound navigation and communication down to self-driving cars of the future."

PATRICK SHANAHAN ACTING US SECRETARY OF DEFENSE "Space is fundamental to our modern way of war."

A war that won't be tank-on-tank like wars of the past.

SCOTT BETHEL CEO, INTEGRITY ISR "It could be cyber, it could be laser weapons, it could be jamming the communications capability."

Retired Brigadier General Scott Bethel says the U.S. has been naive when it comes to the space threat. He and some in the U.S. Congress wonder whether a new military branch, built from scratch, is really the answer.

SCOTT BETHEL CEO, INTEGRITY ISR "That institution has to stand up. It has to organize. It has to find its place and that can be many years."

But Shanahan, who also outlined plans for a beefed-up U.S. Space Command and Space Development Agency, said there's no time to waste.

PATRICK SHANAHAN ACTING US SECRETARY OF DEFENSE "We are starting now because we refuse to fall behind. To those who want to partner with us, buckle up."

Space is no longer a sanctuary, he said. It's now a war-fighting domain. Hendrik Sybrandy, CGTN, Denver.