特朗普总统表示，美国军方的最新分支——太空部队——将被用来“遏制侵略并控制最终制高点”
特朗普昨晚在马里兰州安德鲁斯联合基地发表讲话，在签署《2020年国防授权法案》成为法律时向官员发表讲话。它提供了7380亿美元的国防资金，包括美国空军新的太空中心部门。
“今天有了我的签名，你将见证太空部队的诞生，那将是...美国武装部队第六分支，”特朗普说。
“那真是不可思议的事情。这是一个重要的时刻。这是一个重大时刻，我们都在这里支持它。空间。太空中将会发生很多事情。”
总统补充道:“因为太空是世界上最新的战斗领域。在我们国家安全面临严重威胁的情况下，美国在太空的优势绝对至关重要。我们领先了，但我们领先的还不够。但很快，我们将领先很多。”
正如英国广播公司所指出的，国防部的任务并不是要将军队送入太空，而是将重点放在保护像卫星这样的美国资产免受敌对攻击上。报告指出，太空部队的创建正值中国和俄罗斯越来越关注天空。
太空力量网站上说职责包括“培养军事太空专业人员，获取军事太空系统，完善太空力量的军事理论”
2019年12月20日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在马里兰州安德鲁斯联合基地的2020财年国防授权法案签署仪式上发表讲话
特朗普在他的讲话中称，在他上任之前，军队“非常疲惫”，并遭受“毁灭性的预算削减”，并称这笔资金是“分水岭事件”
“在创纪录的三年军事投资中，我国拒绝了美国衰落的未来，接受了美国主宰的命运。我们的军队现在占据主导地位——远远领先于我们的任何竞争对手。总统说，如果你看到不久前我们从哪里开始，你会非常惊讶，并断言新基金是“有史以来的最高纪录”。
美国空军部长芭芭拉·巴雷特(Barbara Barrett)昨日表示，新分支机构将美国“推向一个致力于保护美国国家利益和太空安全的新时代”，一份新闻稿称，该分支机构将帮助美国在竞争对手面前“保持太空优势”。
官员们表示，太空部队是必要的，因为美国的对手已经“把太空变成了一个战斗领域”，军队需要组织和训练来应对未来的威胁。
“随着太空部队的建立，我们提升了‘组织、训练和装备’的功能，与太空领域的关键程度保持一致，”美国太空司令部司令杰伊·雷蒙德将军在周五发表的一份声明中说。他补充道:“太空部队将提供美国太空司令部为国家利益控制和开发太空所需的能力。”
WHAT WILL THE SPACE FORCE ACTUALLY DO? TRUMP BOASTS NEW MILITARY BRANCH WILL ALLOW U.S. TO 'CONTROL THE ULTIMATE HIGH GROUND'
President Trump has said the newest branch of the American military, Space Force, will be used to "deter aggression and control the ultimate high ground."
Speaking at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland yesterday evening, Trump addressed officials while signing the National Defense Authorization Act 2020 into law. It provides $738 billion in defense funding, including for the new space-focused division within the U.S. Air Force.
"With my signature today, you will witness the birth of the Space Force, and that will be...the sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces," Trump said.
"That is something really incredible. It's a big moment. That's a big moment, and we're all here for it. Space. Going to be a lot of things happening in space."
The president added: "Because space is the world's newest warfighting domain. Amid grave threats to our national security, American superiority in space is absolutely vital. And we're leading, but we're not leading by enough. But very shortly, we'll be leading by a lot."
As noted by the BBC, the department's mission is not intended to blast troops into space, but will focus on protecting American assets like satellites from hostile attacks. The creation of the Space Force comes as China and Russia are increasingly focusing on the skies above, it noted.
The Space Force website says responsibilities include "developing military space professionals, acquiring military space systems, maturing the military doctrine for space power."
US President Donald Trump speaks at the signing ceremony for S.1709, The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 on December 20, 2019 in Joint Base Andrews, Maryland
In his address, Trump said the military was "very depleted" and suffering "devastating budget cuts" before he came to office - and described the funding as a "watershed event."
"Within three years of record military investment, our country has rejected a future of American decline and embraced our destiny of American dominance. Our military is now dominant—far ahead of any of our competitors. And if you saw where we started from, not so long ago, you'd really be amazed," the president said, asserting the new funds were "an all-time record."
Secretary of the Air Force, Barbara Barrett, said yesterday that the new branch pushes the United States "into a new era dedicated to protecting U.S. national interests and security in space" A release said the division will help America to "maintain space superiority" from rivals.
Officials said the Space Force was needed as U.S. adversaries had "turned space into a warfighting domain" and troops need to be organized and trained to address future threats.
"With the establishment of the Space Force we elevate the 'organize, train and equip' function consistent with the criticality of the space domain," Gen. Jay Raymond, commander of U.S. Space Command, said in a statement published Friday. He added: "The Space Force will deliver the capabilities U.S. Space Command needs to control and exploit space for national advantage."
