A new US "Space Force" will soon take shape but will at least initially be a step below the proposed sixth branch of the military envisioned by President Donald Trump, his vice president said Tuesday.
The White House does not foresee the creation of an independent space force before 2020, said U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, who heads the National Space Council, a government body that was revived last year after a decades-long hiatus.
Pence said the president will soon ask Congress to gather military and civilians working on space security into a unified command, similar to the military's special forces.
"Let's begin by bringing everyone under a unified command," he said, adding that he'd also like to see a Space Development Agency tasked with new technologies.
According to Pence, about 60,000 people are currently working on space security in the United States, across various branches of the military and intelligence services.
Congress must approve the proposed plans. Previously, the notion of immediately creating a Space Force on par with the U.S. Army or Air Force sparked controversy among lawmakers, some of whom want space to remain under the guise of the Air Force.
Pence also said the administration would work with Congress, starting next year, to vote on a law creating an independent Space Force by 2020.
Speaking at a meeting of the National Space Council on Tuesday, Pence said, "Space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air and sea, and America will be as dominant there as we are here on Earth."
美国副总统彭斯周二表示，美国新的“太空部队”将很快成型，但至少最初不会达到特朗普总统所设想的美军第六分支的级别。
彭斯副总统说，白宫并没未设想在2020年之前会建成一支独立的太空部队。彭斯身兼美国太空委员会主席，这个委员会是一个政府机构，在中断数十年后于去年重启运作。
彭斯说，特朗普总统将很快要求国会召集从事太空安全工作的军事人员和文官听命于一个统一指挥部，类似于军方的特种部队。
彭斯说，“我们首先要让每个人受到统一指挥，”他补充说，他还希望成立一个专门负责新技术的太空发展机构。
彭斯表示，目前约有6万人在美国军事和情报的各个部门从事太空安全工作。
国会必须批准这项拟议的计划。此前，对于立即建立一支与美国陆军或空军同等的太空部队的想法引发了议员们的争议，一些人希望太空军继续留在空军内。
彭斯还表示，白宫将从明年开始与国会合作，就2020年建立独立太空部队的立法进行投票。
彭斯在星期二举行的国家太空委员会会议上说，“太空如同陆地、空中和海上一样是一个战争争夺领域，美国（在太空）将像我们在地球上一样占据主导地位。”