Trump Admits US Lags Behind Russia, China on Space Force Creation

In June, the US President ordered the country's Department of Defense to "immediately begin the process necessary to establish a Space Force as the sixth branch of the armed forces."

Speaking at a "Make America Great Again" rally in Kentucky, US President Donald Trump admitted that Washington is lagging behind Moscow and Beijing in the creation of space forces.

"Russia has already started, China has already started. They've got a start, but we have the greatest people in the world, we make the greatest equipment in the world, we make the greatest rockets, and missiles, and tanks, and ships in the world," Trump underscored.

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In early August, Vice President Mike Pence detailed the creation of America's new Space Force, which is expected to become the sixth branch of the US Military and help ensure "American dominance in space" by the year 2020.

He added that China is creating its People's Liberation Army (PLA) Strategic Support Force, which is charged with developing and maintaining the PLA’s space capabilities, prompting the US to respond in kind.

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Shortly after Trump announced the creation of the US Space Force in June, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson issued a memo to airmen in which she cautioned that the process of establishing a new military branch will take time and that it could cost at least 13 billion dollars to turn the Space Force into a reality.

The Russian Space Forces are a subdivision of the Russian Aerospace Forces, charged with ensuring Russia's air sovereignty, promoting aerospace early warning and operating the country's military satellites, including the GLONASS navigation system.