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President Trump's new Space Force is a powerfully dumb idea

Rule the land, patrol the sea, but you can't take the sky from me...

Claire Reilly Former Principal Video Producer
Claire Reilly was a video host, journalist and producer covering all things space, futurism, science and culture. Whether she's covering breaking news, explaining complex science topics or exploring the weirder sides of tech culture, Claire gets to the heart of why technology matters to everyone. She's been a regular commentator on broadcast news, and in her spare time, she's a cabaret enthusiast, Simpsons aficionado and closet country music lover. She originally hails from Sydney but now calls San Francisco home.
Expertise Space, Futurism, Science and Sci-Tech, Robotics, Tech Culture Credentials
  • Webby Award Winner (Best Video Host, 2021), Webby Nominee (Podcasts, 2021), Gold Telly (Documentary Series, 2021), Silver Telly (Video Writing, 2021), W3 Award (Best Host, 2020), Australian IT Journalism Awards (Best Journalist, Best News Journalist 2017)
Claire Reilly
Caucasian soldier wearing glowing armor

Sky soldier and the world of tomorrow.

Colin Anderson/Getty Images

"It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space, we must have American dominance in space."

And with those words, President Donald Trump's long-mooted Space Force went from Crayola fever dream to Very Real Thing. Yes, this is the timeline we have landed in, and yes, we have star soldiers now.

But hold your space horses, Trump -- you don't get to own the galaxy!

International Space Law tells us all space exploration must be done with good intentions. I don't know if they ever made Space JAG (Netflix, please make this), but I feel like the Space Force would be court-martialled within three days of blasting into the sky .

Our current astronauts, like noted space super-twin Mark Kelly, already say it's a dumb idea.

And even if they got this new branch of the military off the ground -- quite literally -- there are other unanswered questions. Where do they hold the boot camps? Who designs the uniforms? Who will direct the inevitable Matt Damon-led "Saving Private Martian" biopic about Marshall Martian, the first private to die in space?

Space should be for dreaming and discovery and science and, very occasionally, blasting refuse from Earth that we no longer want. It's no place for starship troopers.

Don't believe me? Let me make my argument in the form of video…