The Air Force Association has come out against President Donald Trump's proposal to launch a fifth branch of the military, saying the U.S. Air Force would be a better vehicle to protect the final frontier.

In a position paper obtained by SpaceNews, AFA said creating a "Space Force" would be a mistake. The group instead suggested that the new branch instead be combined with the Air Force to create a "U.S. Aerospace Force."

"Today, to split up the well-integrated set of air and space capabilities that have been organized to seamlessly contribute to America's military capabilities would result in more harm than good," AFA said.

The association supports some elements of Trump's proposal, including creating a U.S. Space Command, SpaceNews reported. However, AFA said air and space really can't be separated and that the new branch would come at a time when military budgets are already strained.

"Too much mission, too few dollars," the group said. "Standing up a separate space bureaucracy amplifies the problem by driving more money to a headquarters function, not space operations." http://bit.ly/2POQJJj

The nonprofit, civilian education association publishes Air Force Magazine and reported revenue of $18 million in 2016.

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