WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine) questioned military leaders on why the creation of a Space Force is the right approach to managing national efforts in space. Senator King’s questioning came during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee that featured Acting Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan; Commander of the United States Strategic Command, General John E. Hyten; Secretary of the Air Force, Heather A. Wilson; and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Of Staff, General Joseph F. Dunford, Jr.

“In Maine, there are certain basic principles of life: One is you don’t drive on the ice after April 15^th, second is you hate the Yankees, and third is ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’. My impression is: you are all doing a good job. We are getting the data that we need, we are getting the support from the Air Force, we are working together with the [National Reconnaissance Office] and other agencies, and I think as many of you or all of you have testified, we’re dominant in space right now,” said Senator King. “I understand the threat and I understand our adversaries are moving forward, but I don’t understand how adding a box to an organizational chart is going to give us some kind of qualitative military edge to use a term that we’ve used in this committee. I’m like the Chairman [Inhofe], I’m genuinely undecided, although as you can tell, I’m skeptical. I don’t think it’s broken, I think you’re doing a great job.”

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator King is recognized as a thoughtful voice on national security and foreign policy issues in the Senate. In addition to his committee work, he serves on the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, the Senate North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Observer Group, and the Cyberspace Solarium Commission.