The Trump administration is slowly building a military presence in space, with or without Space Force

The Trump administration may not ultimately get to create the highly-anticipated Space Force — that will fall on congressional shoulders — but the White House has made strides in expanding the U.S. military's role beyond the Earth's atmosphere anyway.

Per CNN, defense officials confirmed on Tuesday that four star Air Force general, John Raymond, will head up the newly established U.S. Space Command.

Raymond currently oversees the Air Force Space Command (an entity separate from U.S. Space Command) and will remain in both jobs indefinitely. Defense News reported that if Space Force is, indeed, approved by Congress and established as a sixth branch of the military under the Department of the Air Force, Air Force Space Command could dissolved into the new unit. U.S. Space Command, however, will remain separate either way and will focus particularly on coordinating satellite efforts of all military branches.

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Space Force remains highly controversial in Washington, but Space Command, which actually existed between 1982 and 2003 and does not require Congressional approval, has generally proven itself popular among lawmakers, as it will reportedly help the U.S. counter growing anti-satellite capabilities from possible hostile nations like China and Russia, per the Colorado Springs Gazette. President Trump announced the re-establishment of a U.S. Space Command last December.