President Trump Floats Idea For A Military “Space Force” To Audience Of Marines

For years, conspiracy theorists have maintained that there is a secret space program run by the US military that uses technology far beyond what the public has seen.

Even if it doesn’t exist yet, President Donald Trump wants to create one, proposing a military branch that can stand fast against extra-terrestrial threats.

Earlier today, the President – as usual, casually riffing his way through a public speech – said his new national security strategy recognizes outer space as a potential theater of war. He floated the idea of a Space Force for beyond-the-atmosphere encounters.

“Space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air, and sea,” Trump told an audience of service members at the Marine Corps Air Station Miramar outside of San Diego. “We may even have a Space Force, develop another one, Space Force. We have the Air Force, we’ll have the Space Force.”

Of course, the concept of a space-ready fighting force isn’t all that unfamiliar to fans of science fiction. Washington lawmakers have even mulled such an organization as recently as June 2017, when House members proposed dividing the Air Force and creating a new branch dedicated to space ventures.

Of course, the President is an avid TV watcher. Maybe he saw this particular show back in the 1980s:

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President Trump maintains that the Space Force concept was originally a joke. “Then I said, ‘What a great idea,’ maybe we’ll have to do that,” he told the Marines. “So think of that, Space Force. Because we are spending a lot and we have a lot of private money coming in, tremendous. You saw what happened the other day, and tremendous success. From the very beginning, many of our astronauts have been soldiers and air men, coast guard men and marines. And our service members will be vital to ensuring America continues to lead the way into the stars.”

The White House has so far refused further comment. Starfleet Command could not be reached. However, celebrities and the twitterverse had some fun with the concept:

SPACE FORCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) March 13, 2018