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August 30, 2019 T: 582-7800 | F: 582-7044 www.arubatoday.com
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Trump declares new Space Command key to American defense WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring space crucial to the nation's defense, President Donald Trump said Thursday the Pentagon has established U.S. Space Command to preserve American dominance on "the ultimate high ground." "This is a landmark day," Trump said in a Rose Garden ceremony, "one that recognizes the centrality of space to America's national security and defense." He said Space Command, headed by a four-star Air Force general, will "ensure that America's superiority in space is never questioned and never threatened." But there's still no Space Force. Space Force, which has become a reliable applause line for Trump at his campaign rallies, has yet to win final approval by Congress. The renewed focus on space as a military domain reflects concern about the vulnerability of U.S. satellites, both military and commercial, that are critical to U.S. interests and are potentially susceptible to disruption by Chinese and Russian anti-satellite
STAR WARS President Donald Trump watches with Vice President Mike Pence and Defense Secretary Mark Esper as the flag for U.S. space Command is unfurled as Trump announces the establishment of the U.S. Space Command in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Aug. 29, 2019. Associated Press
weapons. The role of the new Space Command is to conduct operations such as enabling satellite-based
navigation and communications for troops and commanders in the field and providing warning of mis-
sile launches abroad. That is different from a Space Force, which would be a distinct military service like
the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Continued on Next Page