Part One: The Origin of the United Star Force™
On August 1, 2032, a new branch of the United States Armed Forces was formed, called the U.S. Space Corps. This action came only two-and-a-half years after the first successful U.S. landing on Mars and the Chinese establishment of bases on the Moon. At first, however, the U.S. Space Corps was mainly interested in maintaining military satellites, and protection of immediate Earth orbital interests, including the Shepard Space Complex and the International Space Station. The Space Corps accepted delivery of its first space fighter in late 2032, the SC-01 Hunter Mark I . Under the leadership of brave pioneers such as Capt. Liam D. Hughes, a small band of early pilots experimented with various fighters and formed an operational unit, the 1st Space Squadron, in December 2034.
On July 18, 2035, as a result of congressional legislation, the U.S. government greatly expanded the Space Corps’ fledgling flying capabilities by ordering the first capital ship, the Destroyer Odin to be built at the San Diego Shipyards. Over the next five years, the fleet expanded to ten more capital ships of Destroyer, Supply (Sierra class), and Cruiser (Bill Clinton class).
By early 2040, tensions on Earth were rising over the depletion of many natural resources, including the world’s supply of unrefined oil. With gasoline well over $100 per gallon, existing sources in the Middle East and the Northwest United States were heavily patrolled and protected. Simultaneously, previously underdeveloped nations were discovering the strength that space-based resources brought to their countries. Earth orbit, unregulated and un-patrolled, became an arena for regular skirmishes in a sort of second Cold War. The U.S. Space Corps remained a small peacetime establishment with only limited funds.
Next: Countering the Enemy Threat during the Second Cold War
