The House鈥檚 newly passed defense bill will establish a new armed services branch, the United States Space Force, which will be headquartered in Colorado Springs.
The Space Force will become the sixth branch of the U.S. military and the to be added since the Air Force was created in 1947.
The earmarks $148 million for a Combined Space Operations Facility, to be built on Schriever Air Force Base near Colorado Springs, Colorado.
鈥淚t鈥檚 got tremendous job creating potential for the Pikes Peak area, and for all of Colorado and the entire Front Range, actually,鈥� said , who represents the area.
The new branch will answer to the Air Force.
鈥淚t鈥檒l be a relationship similar to the Navy overseeing the Marines,鈥� Lamborn said. 鈥淚t鈥檒l be the Air Force overseeing Space.鈥�
Its mission will be to 鈥減rotect the interests of the United States in space,鈥� to 鈥渄eter aggression in, from, and to space鈥� and to 鈥渃onduct space operations.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 just a recognition that space has gotten so big and so critical it needs its own service,鈥� Lamborn said.
The defense bill includes another provision that has little to do with defense. It will provide for up to .
The legislation still needs to go to the Senate, where it鈥檚 expected to pass.
This story was produced by the Mountain West 暗黑爆料 Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUER in Salt Lake City, KUNR in Nevada, the O鈥機onnor Center for the Rocky Mountain West in Montana, and KRCC and KUNC in Colorado.
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