Roy Cooper: “We need to establish a Space Force, to keep GPS safe, to keep ATMs safe, and to keep Y-O-U safe. Space Force is not a…”

“We need to establish a Space Force, to keep GPS safe, to keep ATMs safe, and to keep Y-O-U safe. Space Force is not a Trump idea. True, he tried to hijack it long after the House Armed Services Committee had voted on a totally bipartisan and nearly unanimous basis to support a Space Corps. Trump's belated support for a Space Force does not make this a Republican idea. Focus on space has been bipartisan since the first Pentagon Space Command in 1985, an initiative that was terminated in 2002 when America got distracted by the war on terror. Our adversaries and potential adversaries were not distracted, however. Since 2002, they have relentlessly pursued anti-U.S. strategies against our defenseless satellites. They have made space a warfighting domain. On behalf of the free world, we must respond. What is the difference between a Space Corps and a Space Force? One word. The language in this year's NDAA is primarily the old Space Corps language, which passed the HASC this year unanimously. The Strategic Forces Subcommittee provisions of this bill support the core mission of our nuclear forces to provide a strong deterrent. They also support nuclear safety as we modernize and recapitalize our nuclear deterrent. We emphasize the importance of strategic stability. The conference agreement highlights the importance of New START and the Open Skies treaties for U.S. and international security.…”