NAPLES, Fla. — World War III will begin in the newest battlefield, outer space. In order for our peer adversaries, China and Russia, to fulfill their dreams of hegemony over the resources of the China Sea or Arctic Ocean, they must first defeat American technology in space. Which is why America needs President Trump's United States Space Force (USSF). Space holds the key to victory because of over-the-horizon technology that includes weapons, navigation, surveillance, communications, intelligence, and command and control. Lose those assets and you lose the war. After the loss of those systems, the only long-range weapons systems left, that does not demand precise targeting, will be nuclear ballistic missiles to counter our foes attacks. And no one, including China or Russia, wants to unloose a nuclear armageddon. ##### Do we really want to find ourselves in a position of nuclear war or defeat?
President Trump realized very early in his presidency what the loss of outer space assets meant. To counter such limited choices, he demanded the creation of a military service dedicated to protecting this new domain. Over the objections of every service chief and almost all legislators, this President fought for and finally obtained the introduction of the newest armed force, the United States Space Force. It couldn't have come too soon as China and Russia are already preparing for dominance in that domain. ##### America's future wars: It is time to rethink our military strategy
Yet, questions abound on the purpose of this service, especially from the leftwing press and legislators. Not so our adversaries. Russia has its own Space Forces, established in 1992. In 2015 China created its Strategic Support Force to control cyber and space missions. American admirals and generals' reluctance to the new service was mostly due to their guarding their piece of the appropriations pie. A new service means dividing the Department of Defense budget five ways instead of four. Surely short-sighted on their part; however, now that the service is a reality they must accept it. ##### The USSF will probably not be like any other armed branch
Don't expect to see space-troopers armed with laser rifles storming battle stars, or space jocks dogfighting x-winged foes. Rather it will be much more like today's Air Force drone operators stationed in Nevada and taking out the likes of Al-Baghdadi or Solimani 10,000 miles away. The new Space Force combatants may never come face to face with danger, but that will not lessen that their mission will determine the fate of this nation.
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Cyberwarfare, intelligence gathering, surveillance of enemy missile systems, defense of American satellites in space, and attacking enemy space satellites, are all a part of this new force's mission. To complete this mission the Space Force will develop the weapons necessary and train the personnel needed to operate those systems. All of these tasks are mostly unknown to the general public, so a closer look at some aspects will help better understand the urgent need for this service. ##### Cyberwarfare is new and barely understandable to many
Cyber warriors are the stuff of comic books and feel good nerd movies. The fact is, their contribution to our national security cannot be underestimated. A 2010 incident with Iran demonstrates the ongoing warfare. A Stuxnet worm was successfully introduced into Iran's nuclear developmental computer systems that delayed their progress in obtaining a nuclear bomb. ##### Is fully funding military armaments keeping America from looking weak?
We only know about this because Obama's minions leaked the highly secret information to the press to bolster Barry O's sagging image as a world leader. (Stuxnet: the worm that turned Obama into a hypocrite?) That leak caused Iran to change protocols and negate the worm's effects. Nonetheless, that malware caused Iran's computer systems to slow down significantly enough to almost stop progress on their nuclear development until press reports alerted them. The USSF will be in charge of cyber warriors to attack enemy systems and to defend ours. ##### Defending Space
To defend our satellites already in outer space, ground-launched unmanned interceptors will stand guard against enemy attacks on them, both military and civilian, as well as to attack enemy satellites using ground-launched weapons. The USAF, who used to be in charge of these duties was very slow to develop these systems, and R&D for the future was nonexistent. For a newly independent Space Force, it will be their primary duty.
Only at the insistence of President Trump, did the Air Force reintroduce Space Command, the combat command responsible for outer space, which had been deactivated under Obama's dismantling of our military. Almost immediately it proved its usefulness. ##### Space Command
Space Command, the forerunner of USSF, warned of the recent missile strikes against US bases in Iraq in retaliation for the assassination of Quds Forces General Somimani. Not only did they alert Central Command of the missile launch, but they were also able to determine their probable destination by calculating their trajectory. Whether Iran informed Iraq of its attack prior to launch or not, Space Command provided enough advance warning to keep U.S. troops out of harm's way before the missile's arrival. This constant surveillance of both earth and space is another mission of USSF. ##### Iran is experiencing the fatal symptoms of a decaying regime
The importance of the new force, beyond those already stated, is that the development of weapons necessary to carry out their mission will come directly from their budget and not be in competition with the Air Force. While the Space Force is directly under the Department of the Air Force, just like the Marine Corps is under the Navy, both have their own budget to fulfill their mission. This will allow the Space Force to prioritize their needs and not have to compete with the Air Force's needs for bombers and fighters. It is the same needs of the service that created the U.S. Air Force in 1947, which created the U.S. Space Force in 2019. ##### The liberal mocking of the Space Force
Ever since President Trump began his campaign to create the Space Force, Democrats and the press have made fun of the idea. The press has belittled the need for the service, just as they did President Reagan's 1983 Strategic Defense Initiative. They mocked it, calling it 'Star Wars.' In the end, the Strategic Defense Initiative led to the development of every defense we now posses against ballistic missiles at home and in the field. Our ground forces are protected by the Patriot anti-ballistic missile system that has repeatedly proven itself in battle. At sea is the Aegis combat system and at home the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system consisting of ground-based interceptor missiles and radars throughout the United States. All of these systems are due to 'Star Wars' development by a foresightful President. A positive side effect was that our feared enemy, the communist Soviet Union, crumbled under the economic pressures of trying to compete with capitalist America on missile defense. Today's press belittles President Trump about everything, and the Space Force is just one more thing for them to attack. But just as 'star wars' development defends us today, the USSF will protect us well into the 22nd Century and beyond. ##### Lead Image: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani- https://www.airforce-technology.com/news/trump-space-policy-directive-4/
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About the author:
Joseph Ragonese is a veteran of the United States Air Force, a retired police officer, has a degree in Criminal Justice, a businessman, journalist, editor, publisher, and fiction author. His last book, “The Sword of Mohammad,” can be purchased at Amazon.com in paperback or kindle edition.
