I'm not exactly against an independent Space Force right now. And I could be persuaded this is the way to go. But right now I think it is premature and this article in favor of the idea (tip to Instapundit) doesn't convince me that it isn't too soon to establish one:
All but the most shortsighted expect that the future of humanity is in the stars, and the United States of America must secure its place as a leader for the long-term in this area if we are to maintain our position at the forefront among the nations of the world.
The stars? We're not to the Moon yet to stay, and already we should embrace a separate space service because eventually we want to go to the stars? I like the enthusiasm, but whoa there fella!
Seriously, the Space Force will have 20,000 staff and not one of them will be in space. Imagine having an army, navy, or air force where none of its members is on the ground, in the sea, or in the air, respectively.
I've long wanted the Air Force to give up ground support missions to the Army and instead embrace an added space role. I eventually thought the Air Force should become the Aerospace Force. That's how we should enter technical space around our planet. For the foreseeable future anything we do in space is meant to directly affect events on Earth.
Seriously people, I think we can wait for an independent space service until we get beyond the Earth-Moon system, eh?
