Buzz Aldrin, the second man to step on the moon, has suggested that President Donald Trump call the new branch of the armed forces something less aggressive than Space Force, the Daily Mail reported on Wednesday.
Trump announced the formation of the new branch in June last year to deal with military operations in space.
Aldrin, who has praised the plan, said that “I have thought for some while that a better name would be Space Guard, because it is more deterrent. It is not strike. We have a strike force that is aggressive. Space Guard is more defensive and I think that is pretty much what people had in mind with the space force.”
The impetus to devote more military resources to space came after China dramatically tested a new anti-spacecraft missile in 2007 by launching it and blowing up one of their own satellites in orbit, part of a pattern in which Beijing has been focusing on war fighting in space.
Last week Trump revealed in a speech at the Pentagon that his new budget will include “a space-based missile defense layer,” adding that the plan is “ultimately going to be a very, very big part of our defense – and, obviously, of our offense,” according to the Independent.
The president added that “The system will be monitored and we will terminate any missile launches from hostile powers, or even powers that make a mistake.”
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