Donald Trump promises to create a Space Force National Guard if elected president

Donald Trump has promised to create a Space Force National Guard if elected president.

The Republican nominee told the National Guard Association of the United States in Detroit that a reserve force is critical for defense in outer space.

Fears of Russia developing nuclear weapons to use specifically in space have ramped up in recent months.

Space is also becoming a vital area of national security as adversaries develop their celestial military capabilities. 

Trump set up Space Force in December 2019 to form the first new branch of the military since 1947, when the Air Force became its own entity.

Now he wants it to include a primary combat reserve, and announced his plans at an event where he scored an endorsement by former Democratic congresswoman and presidential nominee, Tulsi Gabbard.

'One of my proudest achievements in my first term was to create Space Force, the first new branch of the Armed Forces in over 70 years,' he told about 4,000 group members on Monday.

‘The time has come to create a Space National Guard as the primary combat reserve of the U.S. Space Force,' he added.

'So as president, I will sign historic legislation creating a space National Guard'.

Space Force operates under the Air Force, in a similar way to how the Marines are part of the Department of Navy.

The idea of a Space Force National Guard has already been floated under the Biden administration.

But plans have already hit roadblocks in Congress and with the Pentagon and state officials.

The governors of 48 states - including Kamala Harris' running mate Tim Walz -and five U.S. territories said they opposed the plan of moving thousands of reserve troops to focus on space missions in April.

Joe Biden had proposed incorporating around 700 Air National Guard members into the Space Force.

But the governors said the plan would undermine their authority and impact 'longstanding partnerships' and 'military readiness'.

Space Force, as of 2023, has 14,000 military and civilian members known as 'Guardians'.

Roles carried out by the agency - which encompasses a multitude of space functions across the Department of Defense - include satellite acquisition and making sure GPS systems and communications are accessible.

In April, Space Force conducted its first test of a ground-based warfare system to protect to against 'space-enabled' attacks from the likes of Russia and China.

The device, which looks like a satellite dish, was designed to jam orbiting satellite communication by overloading the airwaves with competing signals. 

Moscow has already shown how it can be lethal from space by testing a hit-to-kill anti-satellite missile in 2021.

Russia smashed a defunct spy satellite launched in 1982 into 1,500 pieces of debris in the strike and sparked fury around the world.

In 2020, Moscow fired an anti-satellite weapon from its Cosmos 2543 satellite while in orbit.

Vladimir Putin has also threatened the West with his deadliest hypersonic missile yet that could speed into space and hit multiple targets on the ground.

The nuclear-capable Avangard missile, which is reported to be able hit targets at 27 times the speed of sound, is seen in new footage installed in an underground launch silo in Russia's Orenburg region.

The 20,000mph missile with a hypersonic glide vehicle will be able to leave the earth's atmosphere before striking any target in the world in less than 30 minutes, according to Moscow.