Trump's 'Space Force' Raises 'Alarming' Flags for One Nation

Rep for Russian Foreign Ministry says new military branch would have 'destabilizing effect'
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 20, 2018 1:05 PM CDT
Russia on Trump 'Space Force': a 'Path Toward Catastrophe'
President Trump arrives on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday.   (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

President Trump announced his plans Monday to build the "Space Force," a "separate but equal" sixth branch of the US military, spurring a fair amount of in-depth criticism, joshing, and outright mockery. But one nation in particular is taking Trump's pledge quite seriously, even expressing concern, per Radio Free Europe. "The most alarming thing about this news is the aim of [Trump's] instructions, namely to ensure [US] domination in space," Russian Foreign Ministry rep Maria Zakharova says.

Zakharova says such a military unit, if it came to fruition, would have a "destabilizing effect on strategic stability and international security," and she accuses the US of scheming to bring weapons into outer space for possible military exercises. It's that last part that would have the US violating a treaty banning nukes in the cosmos, Viktor Bondarev, the head of the upper house's defense committee, tells the RIA Novosti news agency, via the Moscow Times. "The militarization of space is a path toward catastrophe," Bondarev said Tuesday. "If the US withdraws from the treaty, then of course, not only ours but other states will follow with a tough response aimed at ensuring global security." (More Space Force stories.)

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