3 ms·

Why does militarization of space not make sense? It makes a lot of sense unless you're a pacifist.

iudqnolq 7y ago
The question is whether the people in the Air Force who send stuff into space should have their own unit, or if the creation of the space force was just a rebranding stunt. The creation wasn't without cost; it gave talking points to other countries seeking to increase their militarization in space. It also increases bureaucratic overhead and might --- if they eventually become more independent --- cause integration issues. Few dispute the military should have some people who do space stuff, many dispute that they should be on equal footing administratively to the rest of the military. > For now, the 16,000 active-duty airmen and civilians who work at Air Force Space Command will be assigned to the Space Force, but nothing else will change. Uniforms, a rank structure, training and education are all to be determined, and for the foreseeable future, Space Force will continue to be manned by airmen... > Meanwhile, U.S Space Command, which stood up in August, will continue to exist as a combatant command, similar to Cyber Command, Special Operations Command and others. > Barrett will be the Space Force’s service secretary, as the service will be nestled within the Air Force Department, the same way the Marine Corps is part of the Navy Department. > Eventually, she said, those services’ space commands will be rolled into Space Force, and those personnel will transfer branches. In the more immediate future, officials said, soldiers and sailors could be detailed to Space Force. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-military/2019/12/21/the-space-force-is-officially-the-sixth-military-branch-heres-what-that-means/ https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-military/2019/12/21/...
emodendroket 7y ago
We had a bunch of international treaties to prevent war in space, which would be disastrous for humanity in a way similar to nuclear war. Our leaders now seem to have decided it's okay because they could probably win.
astrodust 7y ago
It's because as soon as people militarize space nobody can get anything done in space. In space you are so much more vulnerable than in any conceivable environment on earth. Survival depends on others not having layers of other agendas, several of which may be to find ways to kill you. Imagine how much space exploration will cost if not only do you need to get to space, but you need to bring defensive and offensive weapons as well.

The question is whether the people in the Air Force who send stuff into space should have their own unit, or if the creation of the space force was just a rebranding stunt. The creation wasn't without cost; it gave talking points to other countries seeking to increase their militarization in space. It also increases bureaucratic overhead and might --- if they eventually become more independent --- cause integration issues. Few dispute the military should have some people who do space stuff, many dispute that they should be on equal footing administratively to the rest of the military. > For now, the 16,000 active-duty airmen and civilians who work at Air Force Space Command will be assigned to the Space Force, but nothing else will change. Uniforms, a rank structure, training and education are all to be determined, and for the foreseeable future, Space Force will continue to be manned by airmen... > Meanwhile, U.S Space Command, which stood up in August, will continue to exist as a combatant command, similar to Cyber Command, Special Operations Command and others. > Barrett will be the Space Force’s service secretary, as the service will be nestled within the Air Force Department, the same way the Marine Corps is part of the Navy Department. > Eventually, she said, those services’ space commands will be rolled into Space Force, and those personnel will transfer branches. In the more immediate future, officials said, soldiers and sailors could be detailed to Space Force. https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-military/2019/12/21/the-space-force-is-officially-the-sixth-military-branch-heres-what-that-means/ https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-military/2019/12/21/...

emodendroket 7y ago

We had a bunch of international treaties to prevent war in space, which would be disastrous for humanity in a way similar to nuclear war. Our leaders now seem to have decided it's okay because they could probably win.

astrodust 7y ago

It's because as soon as people militarize space nobody can get anything done in space. In space you are so much more vulnerable than in any conceivable environment on earth. Survival depends on others not having layers of other agendas, several of which may be to find ways to kill you. Imagine how much space exploration will cost if not only do you need to get to space, but you need to bring defensive and offensive weapons as well.