Trump Wants Troops In Space, Orders Creation Of Space Force

US President Donald Trump unveiled a plan to set up a sixth branch of the armed forces dedicated to protecting American interests in outer space, Fox News has reported.

According to the report, Trump has directed the Pentagon to create a new "space force" as an independent service branch aimed at ensuring US supremacy in space.

"It is not enough to merely have an American presence in space. We must have American dominance in space," Trump said and added that it would bolster national security and the economy with the creation of jobs.

"America will always be the first in space," Trump said adding, "we don't want China and Russia and other countries leading us. My administration is reclaiming America's heritage as the world's greatest space-faring nation."

He also promised that the US would "return Americans to the Moon" and would eventually send people to Mars. Trump also called on nontraditional aerospace companies like SpaceX, Blue Origin and others to beat National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to Mars.

However, the creation of a new branch of the military is not easy, as Congress would have to pass a law authorising it first.