The U.S. Space Force Is Not a Joke

[Peter1469]

The U.S. Space Force Is Not a Joke

An interesting article about the Space Force. The Space Force is to the Air Force what the Marines are to the Navy.

Last month, not long before boarding a plane to Mar-a-Lago for Christmas, President Trump signed legislation that created the newest military branch in the United States in more than 70 years: the Space Force.

Between the holiday season and more pressing military news, the creation of the Space Force did not initially make a big impression. But the president seems pleased with his newest armed service. “Everybody’s excited about that,” Trump said at a campaign rally in Ohio last week. The crowd responded with boisterous chants of “U-S-A.” Vice President Mike Pence celebrated “America’s heritage as the world’s greatest spacefaring nation” yesterday, as he swore in General Jay Raymond as chief of space operations. The new organization even has its first controversy: Over the weekend, military officials brought a Bible to the Washington National Cathedral to be blessed for swearing-in ceremonies of Space Force officers, raising objections about the coziness of church and state.


But what will the Space Force actually do?


Trump has pushed for the creation of the Space Force since the spring of 2018. But the version that became law isn’t exactly the one he might have in mind. Yes, the law, part of a larger defense-spending bill, established the Space Force as the sixth branch of the American armed forces, but it is not the stand-alone organization that Trump seemed to have promised, a “separate but equal” entity alongside the Air Force—a problematic framing for different reasons—the branch historically responsible for defending the country’s space interests.



The new Space Force instead exists inside the Department of the Air Force, in an arrangement similar to that of the Marine Corps and the Navy, which both operate under the Department of the Navy. There will be no secretary of space: As space ops chief, Raymond now holds the organization’s highest position. The law also stipulates that the Space Force must be built from existing personnel in the Air Force, and does not have the authority to hire new people. The Space Force has simply absorbed the Air Force unit that focuses on space operations, the Air Force Space Command, which was established in 1982. Its members will remain Air Force officers, but those with space-related roles will become Space Force officers in the next year and a half.


The creation of the Space Force so far amounts to little more than bureaucratic reorganization, which probably wouldn’t prompt a chorus of enthusiastic cheers without such a flashy name.

“All you’re doing is reshuffling the deck chairs,” says Richard Wolf, the director of the Air Force Historical Support Division, who provided historical information to Trump administration officials about the last time the U.S. set up a new military branch—the Air Force—in 1947.

[Chris]

http://Space Force, About Face: Mili...ganic Patterns

...Combining both successful precedents and test data, the Operational Camouflage Pattern that has come to replace the UCP and other options looks a lot like older and more organic precursors.



Whereas a lot of creative theoretical arguments drove the digital aesthetics of pixelated solutions, the OCP was based on a more intensive design process followed by extensive testing. It offers a simple and clear lesson for anyone looking to develop a new uniform: create drafts, try them out and see what best goes unseen.

Space Force, meanwhile, as a military service branch within the Department of the Air Force, has also adopted the OCP — it might not be ideal for wars out among the stars, should do just fine on Earth.

[Dr. Who]

Space Force, About Face: Military Camo’s Pivot from Pixels Back to Organic Patterns

What use is terrestrial camo in space? It doesn't show the dirt?

[Peter1469]

What use is terrestrial camo in space? It doesn't show the dirt?

They are not actually going to be stationed in space.

[Dr. Who]

They are not actually going to be stationed in space.

I see.

[Peter1469]

I see.

At least for now.

[waltky]

It's good to know...

... we got somebody who...

... gonna fight all dem space aliens fer us.

[Standing Wolf]

It's good to know...

... we got somebody who...

... gonna fight all dem space aliens fer us.

[Newpublius]

We should slash military spending but space is a frontier and while I would prefer if it weren't militarized, fact is it's going to be. At the end of the day yo uh need to have the 'high ground' even the much smaller military that I envision.

[carolina73]

We should slash military spending but space is a frontier and while I would prefer if it weren't militarized, fact is it's going to be. At the end of the day yo uh need to have the 'high ground' even the much smaller military that I envision.

Peace through Weakness. I can very sarcastically say "What a great idea!"

Space Force is a natural extension of our military. It is unavoidable with the growth of technology.

What would you do tomorrow if China or Russia knocked out our power grid and satellites tommorow?

You can't go to your job. You have no communications. Your supermarket will be stripped and food becomes very expensive and a follow up military takeover would leave you at their mercy. Do you even have a green house or a garden? Seeds? Guns? Ammo? Enough Beer?
I'm not telling everyone to be a survivalist China and Russia are looking above the Earth for control and the ability to disable the US. We need to be prepared. We would have to be able to shut them down and their satellites as well or start practicing their languages.