Ex-White House officials slam Psaki’s ‘pretty bad blind spot’ after Space Force comments
The Space Force became the sixth branch of the U.S. military in 2019
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former Trump White House officials are slamming press secretary Jen Psaki’s comments about the Space Force, describing them as a "pretty bad blind spot" regarding one of the branches of the U.S. Military.
Psaki, during the White House press briefing Tuesday, was asked whether President Biden would keep the scope of the Space Force during his administration.
PSAKI ACCUSED OF MAKING FUN OF THE SPACE FORCE, REFUSES TO APOLOGIZE
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Wow. Space Force. It’s the plane of today!" Psaki said, seemingly mocking the question, and appearing to compare it to one posed by a reporter two weeks ago, asking about Air Force One’s color scheme.
"It is an interesting question," she said after the reporter pushed back on the validity of the question. "I am happy to check with our Space Force point of contact. I’m not sure who that is. I will find out and see if we have any update on that."
A former Trump official described her comments as a "pretty bad blind spot of one of the branches of the military." The official described the Space Force as a huge priority of the Trump administration, pointing to, for example, how Russia tested anti-satellite missiles in mid-December.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}General James Dickinson, the U.S. Space Command commander, said in a release in December that "Russia publicly claims it is working to prevent the transformation of outer space into a battlefield, yet at the same time Moscow continues to weaponize space by developing and fielding on-orbit and ground-based capabilities that seek to exploit U.S. reliance on space-based systems."
The Space Force was enacted by Congress in December 2019 and aims to protect U.S. special interests in space capabilities, becoming the sixth branch of the U.S. military.
Psaki, on Tuesday night, amid criticism, took to Twitter to note the "important work" of Space Force, though the White House press secretary did not include an apology.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"We look forward to the continuing work of Space Force and invite the members of the team to come visit us in the briefing room anytime to share an update on their important work," she said.
One former White House official said that "the team" Psaki referred to are not staffers, but rather, include generals in the Armed Services, and also include a seat on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
RATCLIFFE DESIGNATES SPACE FORCE AS 18TH MEMBER OF INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Meanwhile, last month, Fox News first reported that former Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe had designated the Space Force the 18th member of the intelligence community, in a move to "break down barriers" to information sharing and to help inform the community's analysis of threats in space.
Ratcliffe announced the designation of the U.S. Space Force Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Enterprise, which is the intelligence component of the Space Force.
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) called the designation is "a once-a-generation event."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Space Force intelligence element is the first new organization to join the intelligence community since 2006, when the DEA’s Office of National Security Intelligence joined.
The move, according to ODNI, will break down barriers to information sharing and ensure that Space Force leaders have access to all intelligence that it would need to be successful.
The move also allows the intelligence community to have access to all operational space domain awareness that would help inform its analysis of threats in space.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Fox News' Blake Burman and Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.