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Article snippet: Vice President Pence on Thursday outlined plans to establish MORE's proposed “Space Force,” a new military branch slated to be established by 2020. “Now the time has come to write the next great chapter in the history of our armed forces. To prepare for the next battlefield, where America’s best and bravest will be called to deter and defeat a new generation of threats to our people, to our nation," Pence told an audience at the Pentagon alongside Defense Secretary James Mattis. “The time has come to establish the United States Space Force.” Trump in June officially directed the Pentagon to “immediately begin the process necessary to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces.” Pence’s speech revealed major changes as to how the Pentagon will run its space operations and “the first stages of our administration’s plan to implement the president’s guidance and turn his vision into a reality.” Congressional action is needed to create an entirely new military branch, but Pence outlined a new Defense Department report that details what the department can do without lawmakers’ approval. Pence said the new Space Force “will not be built from scratch," but will use the individuals already working on U.S. space programs under the Air Force and other branches. “Our administration will soon take action to implement these recommendations, with the objective of establishing the United States Department of the Space Force by 2020,” he added. The report, ... Link to the full article to read more