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1 1 (October 2, 2019)

handle is hein.crs/govbbfv0001 and id is 1 raw text is: SI Congressional Research Service ~Info rming th Veslat've debate since 1914 October 2, 2019 Military Space Reform: FY2020 NDAA Legislative Proposals Introduction At a National Space Council meeting on June 18, 2018, President Donald Trump said, I am hereby directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces. One of the purposes for creating a separate military service for space is to protect American interest in outer space. On February 19, 2019, the President signed Space Policy Directive-4 (SPD-4) directing the Secretary of Defense to submit a legislative proposal that would establish a U.S. Space Force, if enacted by Congress. In alignment with the President's National Security Strategy and the National Strategy for Space, the Space Force is intended to secure the vital interest of unfettered access to and freedom to operate in space while expanding American dominance in the space domain. Subsequently, on February 28, 2019, the Department of Defense (DOD) submitted a legislative proposal to Congress to create the U.S. Space Force. Background The FY2020 President's space-related budget request of $306.0 million would fund the * creation of the U.S. Space Force (USSF) - a separate military service under the Department of the Air Force ($72.4 million) (similar to the Marine Corps/Navy relationship); * reestablishment of the U.S. Space Command (USSPACECOM)-the 1 Ih combatant command, ($83.8 million); and * maintenance of Space Development Agency (SDA)- created in March 2019 to accelerate the process for acquiring space systems to meet emerging space threats, ($149.8 million). Table I. FY2020 Budget Request (in millions of dollars of budget authority) H.R. 2500 S. 1790 Budget (House- (Senate- Title Request Authorized) Authorized) USSF $72.4 $15.0 $72.4 SDA $149.8 $149.8 $149.8 USSPACE $83.8 $83.8 $83.8 COM Total $306.0 $248.6 $306.0 Source: Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller) and FY2020 NDAA (H.R. 2500 and S. 1790). a. H.R. 2740 House-passed appropriations bill appropriates $15 million to study the potential establishment of a Space Force. Both the House- and Senate-passed versions of the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 2500 and S. 1790, respectively) would support the Administration's proposal to create a separate military service for space; H.R. 2500 would authorize less funding to do so. Also, the House-passed FY2020 defense appropriations bill (H.R. 2740) would appropriate the funding to study and refine plans for the potential establishment of a Space Force. See Table 1. Legislative Activity If Congress authorizes a U.S. Space Force, it would be the first time a new military branch would have been established since 1947, when Congress voted to create the U.S. Air Force. The origins of the current space force debate trace back to the Rumsfeld Commission in 2001. In the late 1990s, congressional concerns intensified regarding the DOD and Intelligence Community's (IC's) management and execution of national security space programs. At that time, Congress passed legislation to create three commissions to assess certain aspects of space activities. One was the Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization in the FY2000 NDAA, P.L. 106-65, known as the Rumsfeld Commission. The commission's final report suggested a Space Corps within the Air Force-analogous to the Marine Corps within the Department of the Navy-that might someday lead to a separate Space Department apart from the Air Force. In 2018, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Strategic Forces Subcommittee included an NDAA provision to create a U.S. Space Corps, recognizing space as a war fighting domain. Despite Air Force leaders opposing the idea to create a separate military service during HASC hearings, the House passed a version of the NDAA that included language to establish the Space Corps, though it was not included in the final FY2018 NDAA (P.L. 115-91). Miitary Space Proposals In the President's FY2020 Budget request, DOD described a Space Force as a fundamental step in transforming our approach to space from a combat support function to a warfighting domain. DOD further stated, The establishment of the U.S. Space Force will help ensure the United States is postured to deter aggression and outpace potential adversaries in order to protect and defend our national interests in the face of a changing space environment and growing threats. Air Force leaders initially opposed the creation of the Space Force. Top service officials now support the proposed reorganization for space, according to their testimonies during the FY2020 President's budget posture review hearings (see Table 2). The Senate FY2020 NDAA (S. 1790) would authorize funding amount equal to the President's $72.4 million request. The House FY2020 NDAA (H.R. 2500) would htops:!crsreports~cong --ssc S

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