Elon Musk defends President Trump's Space Force idea and says that it is 'cool' and 'sensible'

SpaceX; NASA; Mark Brake/Getty Images; Samantha Lee/Business Insider

Elon Musk and SpaceX's Big Falcon Rocket is designed to carry up to 100 people and deliver 150 tons of cargo to Mars.

• Elon Musk appeared on a Recode podcast with journalist Kara Swisher on Friday.
• The Tesla and SpaceX CEO said President Donald Trump's proposed space force "is a sensible idea."
• He noted how the original Air Force creation was also met with skepticism, but is now widely seen as necessary.

While much of the world rolled their eyes at President Donald Trump's Space Force proposal, he's found at least one fan in Elon Musk.

"It may be controversial, but I actually like the idea," the Tesla and SpaceX CEO told journalist Kara Swisher on a Recode podcast published Friday. "I think it's gonna become obvious that we should have a Space Force."

Musk went on to explain how the Air Force was originally met with skepticism as well following its advent shortly after World War II. Before 1947, aircraft had been managed by the Army, until President Truman created the division with the National Security Act.

"People today may not realize back then it was wildly panned as a ridiculous thing to create the Air Force," Musk said. "But now everyone's like, 'Obviously you should have an Air Force.' And I think it's gonna become obvious that we should have a Space Force, too."

Read more: Elon Musk says he'd 'be very surprised' if another company beats Tesla to fully self-driving capability

Not everyone thinks the need is so obvious, though. The new division would cost up to $13 billion over five years, the current Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson said in a September memo. The President even reportedly considered firing her for what he perceived as resistance to the idea.

Elsewhere, retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelley called it "a dumb idea," and pointed out the Air Force already has a Space Command. On Twitter, jokes abounded after Vice President Mike Pence formally announced the Space Force, which the administration hopes to have up and running by 2020.

"I think also it could be pretty helpful for maybe expanding our civilization," Musk continued, "I think we could just have a base on the moon, for example. A base on Mars."

He added: "I do think it will become obvious over time that a Space Force is a sensible thing to do."

More from Elon Musk's Recode appearance:

• Elon Musk says he'd 'be very surprised' if another company beats Tesla to fully self-driving capability
• Elon Musk says Apple doesn't really 'blow people's minds' anymore

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