Article snippet: Unfortunately, unless President Trump acts quickly, Gen. Kwast will be unwillingly retired from his service because his vision for one of our most urgent national missions – the assured access to and use of outer space – aligned with the Commander-in-Chief’s, but not that of the Air Force. The recently departed Secretary of the Air Force, Heather Wilson, made it her personal mission to terminate this highly accomplished general officer’s career because he persuasively argued that America’s vital interests in space are too important to be subordinated to the priorities of an institution preoccupied with manned aircraft and aerial warfare. This is not the first time that the Air Force has bucked a President. A highly pertinent – if little known – previous instance occurred in 1981. The service’s Chief of Staff, Gen. Lew Allen, testified before the House Armed Services Committee in opposition to a national program involving space. It had been included in President Reagan’s defense build-up, but was deemed by the Air Force leadership as consuming their resources at the expense of other, higher priorities. Thankfully, there were officers in uniform – like Gen. Kwast today – who were willing to put their careers on the line to advance the country’s vital interests. They worked with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to overcome House counterparts’ objections – and deployment of the Global Positioning System was authorized to proceed. Try imagining what the ... Link to the full article to read more