Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan speaks with Air Force Lt. Gen. John Thompson, commander of the Space and Missile Systems Center Aug. 27, 2018. Credit: DoD
Space News: New Pentagon memo lays out action plan to establish Space Force by 2020
The Sept. 10 space reorganization memo includes specific actions and assigns responsibilities. Deputy Secretary Shanahan is overseeing the entire effort, but the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the undersecretary of defense for policy also have significant roles.
WASHINGTON — Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan this week issued a detailed plan for how the Pentagon will move forward to create a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces by fiscal year 2020.
The plan, laid out in a Sept. 10 memo titled “Space Reorganization and Management Tasks,” includes actions that the Pentagon will pursue using executive branch authorities — standing up a unified command for space, a Space Development Agency and Space Operations Forces. These proposals were presented to Congress in a report on Aug. 9. The establishment of the Space Force as a military branch must be approved by Congress and written into legislation. Shanahan’s Sept. 10 memo, a copy of which was obtained by SpaceNews, explains the steps DoD will take to develop a legislative proposal.
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WNU Editor: What strikes me about this plan is how quick they want to implement their proposals. They want everything to be up and running within a few years.
