Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin cheered President Trump’s plan to develop Space Force as an additional branch of the military.

On Friday, the icon in American history tweeted:

One giant leap in the right direction. #SpaceForce https://t.co/3ZAvB2Oex4 — Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) August 10, 2018

Mr. Aldrin and fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong were part of the Apollo 11 spaceflight in 1969 in which they became the first two people on the moon.

Mr. Aldrin’s tweet was similar to the famous words of Mr. Armstrong as he ventured onto the moon for the first time: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday outlined the plan for Space Force to be operational by 2020 in order to combat threats from Russia, North Korea and China. The additional branch is estimated to cost about $8 billion and the administration is already working with Congress despite the reservation of some congressmen.

Mr. Trump praised the new military branch after Mr. Pence’s speech.

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