The Department of Defense continues to encourage Congress to approve the formation of the Space Force to address the emerging threats against military satellites and other space-based assets of the country, Space News reported Tuesday. Stephen Kitay, deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, said the new service branch will focus on protecting the infrastructures supporting the economy and military.Â
“The scope and scale of the threats to our space systems is at an all time high and expanding,†Kitay said during a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.Â
The Senate Armed Services Committee is set to begin markup of the fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, which includes the Space Force. Some lawmakers expressed some concerns with the proposal at a committee hearing on April 11 and challenged Acting Defense Secretary and 2019 Wash100 Award winner Patrick Shanahan to explain why DoD needs to add another bureaucracy to protect satellites from enemy attacks.Â
Kitay said having a separate service branch for space will enable the military to “ensure attention,†elevate, unify and focus efforts on that domain as adversaries continue to develop new capabilities, such as the anti-satellite missiles of China.
