Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan made a renewed push on Capitol Hill Thursday for President Trump’s proposed Space Force, and defended funding for the potential sixth branch of the military.
Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday, Mr. Shanahan said the U.S. economy and military “were carrying too much risk given the vulnerability we have in space now that space is a contested domain.”.
“The assets that are in space were never designed to be resilient and deal with the threats that exist today. It’s a bit like you can’t pick your parents,” he explained.
Mr. Shanahan has played a dominant role within the Pentagon to move forward with Mr. Trump’s Space Force, which his predecessor, former Gen. James Mattis, had greeted with skepticism.
Mr. Trump’s just-released budget for FY 2020 seeks $72.4 million for a new Space Force headquarters and $83.8 million for the planned U.S. Space Command at $83.8 million, but congressional Democrats have already called into question whether they will approve those spending levels.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
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