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Last December, United States President Donald Trump officially announced the establishment of the United States Space Force, which will be the sixth branch of the military and the first military force to be established in nearly 70 years.
Trump said force was needed to ensure “US control over space and for our people to be safe and our interests protected.”
The President of the United States said: “Our opponents are in space, and so are we. This will be a large part of our country’s defensive and even offensive activities.”
And recently, a team of about 20 soldiers from the new force was deployed to Al Udeid Air Base in the state of Qatar.
Space Force Director Col. Todd Benson said during a ceremony this month at the base to designate the vanguard of the forces that this group “makes history.”
Today, Monday, the US Armed Forces released a video clip of excerpts from the ceremony that took place after the transfer of Air Force elements and their appointment to the newly created space force: The new soldiers were already working in areas related to the air and space, and is expected, according to the US Armed Forces, that other elements with experience in the fields of artificial intelligence, engineering and the Internet.
#ICYMI, deployed Airmen transitioned to the ranks of the USSF on September 1, 2020 at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar. pic.twitter.com/riMxKdGKx6
– United States Space Force (@SpaceForceDoD) September 20, 2020
The deployment of these forces in the Arabian Peninsula is significant. This region, according to the CBS website, has already witnessed what military experts call the world’s first “space war,” which is Operation Desert Storm in 1991 to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. Where American forces relied on satellites in space to carry out their operations.
Today, the United States faces new threats in the region, represented by Iranian missile programs and attempts to jam and penetrate American satellites.
Benson told The Associated Press: “We are beginning to see other very aggressive nations preparing to extend the conflict into space … We have to be able to compete and defend and protect all of our national interests.”
It is worth noting that the deployment of space force personnel comes after months of escalating tensions between the United States and Iran.
More soldiers are expected to join the force, which is currently in Qatar, to serve in the unit of “primary space operators”, who will operate the satellites, track enemy maneuvers and work to prevent conflicts in space.
With increasing space competition between the United States, China and Russia, US Defense Secretary Mark Esper warned last month that Moscow and Beijing were developing weapons capable of damaging American satellites.
Capt Ryan Vickers, a newly appointed member of the Space Force, said: “The military relies heavily on satellite communications, navigation, and global missile warnings.”
It adds that “US forces use GPS coordinates to track ships passing through strategic Gulf corridors” to ensure that they do not enter the territorial waters of other countries.
The Strait of Hormuz, in the Gulf, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil flows, has been the scene of a series of clashes in recent months, in which Iran seized ships that it claimed entered in its territorial waters. A CBS report says: “A broken signal or miscalculation could spark a confrontation.”
Iran has a long history of trying to disrupt communications systems in the region, blocking satellite and radio signals to prevent Persian and foreign media from broadcasting domestically.
The US Federal Aviation Administration also says that commercial jets passing over the Gulf are sometimes jammed by Iran.
There have been reported cases of vessels sailing in the region exposed to “false” communications from unknown entities claiming to be US or coalition warships.
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