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Space Force Guardians
by Jim Garamone, DOD News
December 27, 2020
Soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen and Guardians. That's the
line-up for personnel in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and
America's newest armed service ... the U.S. Space Force.
Vice
President Mike Pence announced that personnel in the Space Force
will be called Guardians. He spoke during a White House event
marking the first anniversary of the U.S. Space Force on December
18, 2020.
"It is my honor, on behalf of the President of the United States,
to announce that, henceforth, the men and women of the United States
Space Force will be known as 'Guardians,'" Pence said during the
ceremony.
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Logo announcing that Space Force personnel will be called Guardians. (U.S. Air Force
image by Staff Sgt. James Richardson)
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The Trump administration championed establishing the U.S. Space
Force culminating in the legislation signed December 20, 2019, that
formed the first U.S. armed force since the Air Force was
established in 1947.
"That historic moment was a culmination of an
effort that began from the early days of this administration — from
almost the first moment that the president and I spoke about space
when we were campaigning for these jobs," Pence said. "He had a dual
focus of renewing American leadership in human space exploration,
but also ensuring that America remained as dominant in space as we
are in land and air and sea."
There are roughly 4,000
Guardians in the U.S. Space Force ... all from the Air Force. One of
the newest members of the service is in orbit aboard the
International Space Station. Space Force Col. Michael Hopkins, a
NASA astronaut, transferred from the Air Force to the Space Force.
This is a far cry from earlier this year when Gen. John "Jay"
Raymond and Chief Master Sergeant Roger Towberman were the only two
members of the Space Force.
That space is now a war-fighting
domain is not questioned. Russia and China are aggressively seeking
ways to cut into America's dominance in space, Pence said. He noted
that Russia conducted yet another antisatellite missile launch.
"We're leading in space, but our determination … is to stay in the
lead to defend America and defend our freedom from [the vantage
point of] space," he said.
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September 15, 2020 - Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond ceremoniously administered the oath of office and oath of enlistment to 73 officer and enlisted space professionals selected to transfer into the U.S. Space Force stationed at Peterson-Schriever Garrison via livestream
during the Air Force Association’s virtual Air, Space and
Cyber Conference. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Alexus Wilcox)
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The vice president also noted that
the first two space bases are up and operating: Patrick Space Force
Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station were renamed earlier
this month.
The Space Force has to form even as the missions
continue. "Let me urge each and every one of you Guardians to keep
pushing," Pence said. "Keep pushing the vision and the mission of
the United States Space Force, which is to ensure that America
remains as dominant in space."
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