DoD Submits Space Force Proposal to Congress

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan submitted the department's strategy for establishing Space Force as a standalone military branch to Congress, Space News reported Thursday.  Reps. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., and Brenda Lawrence, D-Mich., introduced a resolution calling for ethical standards to guide the field of artificial intelligence  The legislative proposal was emailed to the House and Senate  Appropriations defense subcommittees and the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.  Gen. John Hyten, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, said Tuesday at a hearing with STRATCOM and the U.S. Northern Command that Space Force would be responsible for organizing, training and equipping operators to support the combatant commands including the U.S. Space Command. Hyten added that the nation’s space access is facing threats from adversaries, and a space-focused combatant command would assist with national defense missions.  Defense officials said the Space Command will be complete in the next 60 to 90 days.