White House unveils ‘America First’ space strategy focused on ‘warfighting options’ instead of science

The White House on Friday unveiled President Donald Trump's "America First" space strategy, only 10 days after the commander in chief called for a Space Force to militarize low Earth orbit.

"The Trump administration’s National Space Strategy prioritizes American interests first and foremost, ensuring a strategy that will make America strong, competitive, and great," the plan claims.

The plan officially includes Trump's promised focus on militarization of space.

“We should have a new force called the Space Force. It’s like the Army and the Navy, but for space, because we’re spending a lot of money on space. I said maybe we need a new force, I was not really serious, then I said ‘what a great idea.’ Maybe we’ll have to do that," Trump told Marines at Miramar Air Station in San Diego during a recent visit.

“My new national strategy for space recognizes that space is a war-fighting domain, just like the land, air, and sea,” he continued.

The new plan calls for doing just that.

"President Trump’s National Space Strategy recognizes that our competitors and adversaries have turned space into a warfighting (sic) domain. While the United States would prefer that the space domain remain free of conflict, we will prepare to meet and overcome any challenges that arise," the space strategy reads. "Under the President’s new strategy, the United States will seek to deter, counter, and defeat threats in the space domain that are hostile to the national interests of the United States and our allies."

Space wars are one of the four pillars of the new America First space strategy.

"Strengthen deterrence and warfighting (sic) options: We will strengthen U.S. and allied options to deter potential adversaries from extending conflict into space and, if deterrence fails, to counter threats used by adversaries for hostile purposes," the plan directs.