Former General: Canada Should Start Its Own Space Force

But a Canadian politician opposes the "militarization of space."

Space Force

A former brigadier-general of the Canadian Armed Forces says that the country should start its own Space Force, similar to the one proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump earlier this year.

"At some point we might like to think about a space force," said Matthew Overton, who is the executive director of a think tank called the Conference of Defence Associations Institute, in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. "Thinking about space as a separate entity in itself that deserves attention and expertise, I think is a good idea."

Timeline

Overton said that Canada should take its time in deploying the new branch of its military. Canada has a space program and has sent astronauts to the International Space Station, but it doesn't currently have the capacity to launch its own rockets into space.

According to Overton, space has long been used for military purposes, from GPS to communications satellites.

Space Critics

Not everybody is on board with the idea of a Canadian Space Force.

"New Democrats are fundamentally opposed to the militarization of space and believe that space should only be used by all of humanity for peaceful purposes," member of Parliament Randall Garrison told CBC. "New Democrats urge the government of Canada to uphold the principles of peaceful space exploration and to engage with our allies on a renewed call for the drafting of an international treaty aimed at the prevention of an arms race in space."

READ MORE: Military expert suggests Canada may want to consider its own space force [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]

More on Canada: Canada Legalized Weed, and It Could Be a Huge Opportunity for Scientists