Inside Story

Is the US looking for war in space?

Washington has announced the creation of a new armed space force by 2020.

US Vice President Mike Pence says the time has come to prepare for the next battlefield – and that battlefield is space.

The Americans want to create a space force within two years to defend US satellites and spacecraft from attack.

It’ll be the first new branch of the military since 1947.

US President Donald Trump wants Congress to approve the plan and agree to additional funding of $8bn.

But who will the US be competing against? And is it the start of a new space race?

Presenter: Hoda Abdel-Hamid

Guests:

Oliver McGee – former adviser to Donald Trump

Einar Tangen – China political analyst

Morris Jones – space analyst and author of When Men Walked on the Moon