Trump’s space force: seeking security in the sky

Not too far-fetched: Americans do not have to worry about Klingons in space; it is the technologically advancing adversaries here on Earth that they have to be afraid of. — CBS Interactive

MANY Americans gaze at the sky and see only a vast uncharted frontier for exploration. But President Donald Trump reminds Americans that there’s another potential reality in space: It could become a military battlefield, a place where this nation’s independence is protected or lost.

The point isn’t to repel an alien invasion from deep space. We’re not worried about Klingons. But Americans do have reason to be concerned about technologically advancing adversaries here on Earth. China and Russia have ambitious satellite programs. Such satellites can be used for improving telecommunications, internet coverage, weather forecasting. Or they may be weaponised to shoot down rival satellites, disrupt a nation’s land-bound electrical grid, and stake a claim to space (and hence ground) superiority.