Star Wars 2

Trump is a proven serial treaty-breaker and the latest example is his proposal for an American Space Force to be up and running by 2020.  “We must have American dominance in space," Trump said

Vice President Mike Pence revealed some of the details. A U.S. Space Command will “develop the space war fighting doctrine, tactics, techniques.” A military astronaut corps, which Pence called "an elite group of joint war fighters specializing in the domain of space." will be established. A Space Development Agency, will develop new technologies to "ensure cutting-edge war-fighting capabilities."

Naturally, the US pretends its policy is defensive, after all, the original name of the Department of Defense was the Department of War which made it sound far too belligerent and bellicose.

 Article IV of the OST states that:

" Parties to the Treaty undertake not to place in orbit around the Earth any objects carrying nuclear weapons or any other kinds of weapons of mass destruction, install such weapons on celestial bodies or station weapons in outer space in any other manner. The moon and other celestial bodies shall be used … exclusively for peaceful purposes. The establishment of military bases, installations and fortifications, the testing of any type of weapons and the conduct of military manoeuvres on celestial bodies shall be forbidden…"

 But it has a weakness: it allows ‘use of military personnel for scientific research or for other peaceful purposes.’ Defining ‘peaceful purpose’ activities isn’t easy. There have been attempts to expand the Outer Space Treaty to ban all weapons from space. This is called the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space (PAROS) treaty and leading in urging its passage have been Canada, Russia, and China. There has been virtually universal backing from nations around the world. But U.S. administration after administration have refused to back the PAROS treaty preventing its passage.

In 1982, a committee of Congress urged the creation of an “aerospace force” or “space force” to develop “laser battle stations in space” while Ronald Reagan called for the Strategic Defense Initiative, “Star Wars.” (It never got further than the research stage.) Air Force Space Command, General John W. “Jay” Raymond, said last year that space is “a war-fighting domain and we need to treat it as such.” A U.S. Space Command was formed in 1982. “U.S Space Command—dominating the space dimension of military operations to protect US interests and investment. Integrating Space Forces into war-fighting capabilities across the full spectrum of conflict,” it declared in its report “Vision for 2020.”