Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, said during a meeting that HASC has agreed to vote for the authorization of a Space-focused service branch that won’t necessarily be named the Space Force, Space News reported Monday. He spoke with other HASC officials on the establishment of what may instead become a Space Corps under the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. The committee also proposed the Space Corps idea for the bill’s 2018 version, the report noted.
“We have an agreement on an amendment that will be added in the full committee markup,†Smith told reporters.
Smith’s proposed Space Corps would be smaller than the Trump administration’s intended service branch. Only one four-star general would lead the Space Corps, in contrast with the Department of Defense’s proposal to have two four-star generals lead.
“Our proposal is less costly and has less bureaucracy than what the president proposed,†he noted.
