Wither the United States Space Command?

"So much change will take place in the next ten years, we will not recognize our world - or what is beyond our world. We need to jump on this Space Command and get it up and running. Why? Change waits for nobody. And big changes will start next month." 

It has been almost two years now, since this subject was first broached by the President. Many thought it was nutty. But was it? We kind of have a space agency now, as it is part of our Air Force. But starting next month, "outer space", will take on a whole new meaning. In other words, after a fifty year slumber and just playing around in low Earth orbit, mankind is ready to spring into action. Or - as Buzz Lightyear would say - we are ready to go "To infinity and beyond!"

Two things are going to happen in the 2020 decade which make a strong argument for having a Space Command. First, the number of critical satellites will grow - a lot. More and more, our lives will depend on the accuracy and dependability of our satellites. Second, as I have penned about before, mankind is poised and ready to vacate low Earth orbit and head back to the Moon, to Mars, to the Asteroid Belt, and maybe further. What is ahead of us is a blank slate. We have no clue to the challenges or dangers out there. Having a Space Force or Space Command, just makes good sense.

By the way, our good friends, the Russians and the Chinese, already have something similar to Space Commands. Plus, with the advent of hypersonic missiles, the threat of a foreign power taking out some of our critical satellites just got much more real. Plus, let's face it - going into space is like going into a dark room and lighting a match. You won't know what is in that room until the match is lit. Having someone like a Space Command as we go into those dark rooms, someone to protect our space voyagers, makes as much sense as having the Navy protect our shipping.

Where will the money come from to start this new Space Command? Anyone who has worked with, or been in the Armed Forces, know that fraud, waste and abuse is rampant. Has been for years. I would give the other members of our Armed Forces a minor "haircut" and use that money to fund the Space Command. Don't think there is that kind of money out there? Let's start with closing down some of our bases in Europe. Unless my math escapes me, World War II has been over for 75 years. Time to move on.

In any event - time to get moving. Many futurists have been talking about this next decade. Glenn Beck talks about it on his show quite a bit. What these prognosticators all have in common, is what they say about the 2020's. So much change will take place in the next ten years, we will not recognize our world by 2030 - or what is beyond our world. We need to jump on this Space Command and get it up and running. Why? Change waits for nobody. And big changes will start next month.