Space Force: Donald Trump’s announcement of sixth branch of the armed forces ‘surprised the Pentagon’

President Donald Trump’s announcement on Monday of a sixth branch of the armed services – the “space force” – was a surprise proposal issued after months of frustration at Pentagon scepticism, it has been claimed.

Mr Trump on Monday announced: “I’m hereby 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.”

He added: “That’s a big statement.”

He seized on the idea a few days later, whipping a crowd in Minnesota into a frenzy of chanting: “Space force! Space force!”

Yet, according to the Wall Street Journal, the week before his announcement senior commanders from the air force gathered for a strategy session in Dayton, Ohio, but had no idea of the planned announcement.

The Pentagon has not created a new service since the air force was begun in 1947. 

Mr Trump first raised the idea in March, and then again in May.

Last year a bill to include provisions in a defence spending bill were removed, amid opposition from senators and the armed forces.

James Mattis, the defense secretary, wrote in a 2017 letter to the senate armed services committee: “I oppose the creation of a new military service and additional organisational layers at a time when we are focused on reducing overhead and integrating joint warfighting functions.”

But following Mr Trump’s announcement on Monday, he took a more conciliatory line.

“It’s going to require legislation and a lot of detailed planning and we’ve not yet begun,” he told reporters at the Pentagon on Thursday. 

Click Here: cheap INTERNATIONAL jersey

“I mean, we’ve clearly got to start the process.”

The Pentagon’s stance also shifted, with a senior military official saying in response: "The Joint Staff will work closely with the Office of the Secretary of Defense, other DoD stakeholders and the Congress to implement the president’s guidance.”