'No One Has Illusions': Roscosmos Head Comments on Space Militarization, US SPACECOM Establishment

MOSCOW/WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – Dmitry Rogozin, the chief of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, commented on US President Donald Trump’s statement that space is becoming the next "warfighting domain", saying that everything headed in that direction.
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"Slowly but steadily [we are] moving to this. In Roscosmos, no one has illusions about this. Everyone is busy", Rogozin wrote on Twitter.

The Russian military has said that by creating the space command, the United States is also creating preconditions for militarizing space. Russia has vowed to respond to these actions in kind.

Trump made this statement on Thursday, as he announced the establishment of the United States Space Command SPACECOM, the sixth branch of the US military, saying it would defend the country’s interests in space.

"SPACECOM will defend America's vital interests in space, the next war-fighting domain", Trump said.

Trump added that it is important to have the freedom to operate in space in order to detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States. SPACECOM will deter aggression and outpace rivals of the United States "by far", he said.

Trump also said the establishment of SPACECOM will soon be followed by the official establishment of the United States Space Force to become the sixth branch in the US military.

Air Force General John Raymond will serve as the US Space Command commander.

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