President Donald Trump wants a Space Force, a new military service he says is needed to ensure American dominance in space.
But the idea is gaining little traction at the Pentagon, where the president’s defense chief, Jim Mattis, says it would add burdensome bureaucracy and unwanted costs.
The Pentagon acknowledges a need to revamp its much-criticized approach to defending U.S. economic and security interests in space, and it is moving in that direction. But it’s unclear whether this will satisfy Mr. Trump, who wants to go even further by creating a separate military space service.