President Trump Re-establishes US Space Command - no Space Force for now

President Donald Trump has signed a one page memorandum authorising the Pentagon to re-establish the US Space Command,which had existed from 1985-2002.It will be the eleventh combatant command,headed by a four star flag officer and a deputy.
Combatant commands are leadership nodes comprised of personnel from all the services working together in a joint manner to advance a common mission set.They are not separate armed forces.Among the existing combatant commands are US Strategic Command,;US European Command;US Special Operations Command,etc.The original US Space Command was abolished in the wake of the 9-11 attacks so that US Northern Command (including NORAD) could be established to protect the continental homeland.Its elements were absorbed by US Strategic Command and Air Force Space Command.
The complex new organisation will have a staff of about 1600 personnel:600 of them from existing space organisations,and 1,000 of them new hires.It is estimated it will cost about 800 million dollars to set it up over a period of years.The first step will come next year with the nomination of a flag officer for commander,plus a deputy commander,for approval by the US Senate.*
President Trump considers this a move in the direction of creating a new armed service,the US Space Force.It's widely believed,however,that it isn't possible to create the force in the immediate future,while the US faces immediate challenges in space from Russia and China.*
Vice President Mike Pence made the announcement while visiting NASA Kennedy Space Center and the US Air Force 45th Space Wing at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida.He explained that:
The US Space Command will integrate space capabilities across all branches of the military.It will develop the space doctrine,tactics,techniques and procedures that will enable our warfighters to defend our nation in this new era.*
The Pentagon says that the renewed US Space Command is a critical step in accelerating our space capabilities and posture to defend our vital national interests and deter our adversaries.This combatant command will lead space operations and develop space warfighting doctrine,tactics and procedures.

Air Defence Puzzle:Complex Exercise Challenges NORAD,US STRATCOM

NORAD,the North American Aerospace and Defense Command,along with its close partner and fellow combatant command US Strategic Command,conducted a day of joint,comprehensive intercept and safe passage exercises in all three of the NORAD regions with a broad range of warplanes on 1 August 2016,the command revealed in a press release.The carefully planned and controlled drills ensured NORAD's rapid response capability.Normally,only one intercept at a time is conducted with only one type of interceptor and bomber involved.This test injected more layers of complexity by varying types of aircraft,commands involved,location and nationality.The scenario was a more realistic simulation of what an actual attack by a sophisticated enemy would be like.*
In these exercises,US Strategic Command B-52H Stratofortess and B-2 Spirit bombers conducted flights through each of the NORAD regions that were intercepted by three types of fighter aircraft:
2 F-22 Raptors in the Alaska NORAD Region,based at Elmendorf Air Force Base,Alaska;
2 CF-18 Hornets in the Canadian NORAD Region,based at Canadian Forces Base Winnipeg,Manitoba;and
2 F-15 Eagles in the Continental United States NORAD Region,based at Tyndall Air Foce Base,Florida.*
US Defense Secretary Ash Carter noted that the bomber flights provided NORAD with an excellent opportunity to hone our air defence capabilities,while also allowing us the opportunity to closely coordinate operations with our allies and the geographic combatant commands.*
Our ability to conduct intercept and safe passage escort procedures to coincide with American flights reinforces Canada's outstanding collaboration and interoperability with our closest ally.Canada and the US continue to expand on our close partnership,added Canada's Minister of National Defence Harjit S. Sajjan.*
The intercepts honed Operation Noble Eagle's procedures,cross-border interoperability and coordination,and to reinforce the enduring defence relationship between the US and Canada.
NORAD is the binational Canada-US command that provides aerospace warning,aerospace control and maritime warning for Canada and the US,NORAD explained.*
Operation Noble Eagle has guided the joint Canadian-US defence of North American airspace since the 9-11 attacks on the US by al-Qaida.