E83 - 9-1-9 Esper Affirms Support for U.S. Space Command and for an Independent Space Force
b'On August 28th, in his first news conference as defense secretary, Mark Esper (standing alongside Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford in image above) endorsed the US Space Command as the \\u201cnext crucial step\\u201d in the Pentagon\\u2019s reorganization of space forces \\u201cto ensure the protection of America\\u2019s interests in space.\\u201d'