“Outer space is an asset shared by all mankind. China always advocates the peaceful use of outer space and opposes the placement of weapons and an arms race in outer space,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. “In particular, we oppose turning outer space into a battlefield.”
Trump said on Monday that he is “directing the Department of Defense and Pentagon to immediately begin the process necessary to establish a space force as the sixth branch of the armed forces”.
“Our destiny beyond the Earth is not only a matter of national identity, but a matter of national security,” he added.
The Fiscal 2019 defense authorization bill does not establish a Space Force, but does require a review of national security for space.
This is not the first time Trump has suggested a Space Force, but it is the first time he has ordered that one be established.
President Trump in May had announced that his administration was “seriously thinking” of adding a sixth branch to the United States military called the “Space Force.”
The President previously floated the idea back in March.