Former Oklahoma Congressman-turned-NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine’s support of President Trump’s proposed “Space Force” gets more attention.
Not only did he support the idea publicly in a meeting this week, but in an interview with the news website Axios the space force is necessary because it’s where the U.S. is strategically vulnerable.
“When you think about the history of this, people have forever believed that space was a sanctuary and it is not. It is becoming more contested, more congested and more competitive than ever before. And in order to preserve space, we have to be willing to defend it,” he said.
Some see the proposal as a militarization of space, but Bridenstine, a former Navy fighter pilot sees it as being necessary.
And Bridenstine’s support of the Space Force might prompt faster action on the idea. The Pentagon plans to study the prospect and consult with Congress which will have the final say.
The former 1st District U.S. Representative explained that China and Russia are already developing capabilities to target U.S. satellites.
“And it’s not just direct ascent anti-satellite missiles. It’s co-orbital anti-satellite capabilities, it’s jamming,it’s dazzling, it’s spoofing, it’s hacking—all of these threats are prolifering at a pace we have never seen before and the Chinese are calling space the American Achilles’ heel,” he added.
But Bridenstine indicated he has no desire to run such a Space Force. It’s something that should be in the hands of the Defense Department.