The House Armed Services Committee authorized language Thursday in its fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act bill that would create a new space force military branch.
The measure, offered by Rep. Jim Cooper (R-Tenn.), chairman of the Strategic Forces subcommittee and Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), advanced with unanimous support and would authorize funding for a space corps within the Air Force, according to Defense News.
“It is not a $13 billion expenditure, a gold-plated plan like had been proposed to us by the Secretary of the Air Force,” Cooper said. “It is instead a reorganization so that space professionals can be properly recognized for their skill and ability and be promoted.”
The House defense bill differs from the Senate’s version which authorizes forming a new space military service with funding set at $72.4 million.
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