Guardian First Sergeants Help Build Space Force’s Blueprint
by U.S. Space Force Keefer Patterson
Space Forces Space
October 7, 2026

In a military service still establishing its culture, institutions and traditions, U.S. Space Force first sergeants gathered in Colorado Springs, Colorado on September 28, 2026 ... to help define their role as the service continues to mature.

As home to the service’s largest concentration of Guardian first sergeants, the Colorado Springs area hosted the inaugural Guardian First Sergeant Summit. The daylong working session brought together twenty-six First Sergeants, including local participants and virtual attendees from Florida, California, New Mexico, Washington, D.C., Hawaii, Ohio, Germany and the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

The summit, intended to become an annual event that expands in scope and scale, aims to capture perspectives from across the service and develop enduring standards for the first sergeant role.

“In older services, roles and career paths are deeply entrenched,” said U.S. Space Force Master Sgt. Cory Burch, National Space Defense Center and Space Delta 15 first sergeant and one of the event organizers. “In the Space Force, we have the unique, once-in-a-generation privilege of building the blueprint, which includes defining how Guardian first sergeants are trained, utilized and integrated into organizations across the service.”

Building that blueprint requires first sergeants to bridge experiences across vastly different mission environments. Some Guardian first sergeants support geographically dispersed units, while others are responsible for hundreds of personnel across a delta or serve within large field commands.

Discussions focused on talent management pipelines, governance and the balance between additional-duty and full-time assignments. Attendees also addressed how Guardians can serve as first sergeants without sacrificing career momentum when returning to their primary specialties, reinforcing guidance outlined by Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John F. Bentivegna in B-Line #6, “Guardian First Sergeants.”.

In the March 2026 B-Line, Bentivegna described first sergeant service as a duty position rather than a permanent career field, designed to develop leaders who gain experience navigating complex human challenges before returning to operational or institutional positions.

U.S. Space Force Master Sgt. Hailey Fruck, Mission Delta 2 first sergeant, said Guardian first sergeants have demonstrated agility as service-wide policies take shape, relying on close relationships and direct communication.

“The Space Force is small enough that we know each other, which makes it easy to pick up the phone and say, ‘Hey, how are you experiencing this?’” Fruck said. “A lot of us started in a delta or field command as brand-new first sergeants and figured it out along the way. Bringing all those different experiences together means we can share good ideas and ultimately take better care of our Guardians.”

The format was hands-on rather than a traditional summit. First sergeants passed their duty phones to additional-duty first sergeants so they could focus on the agenda, while topic chairs and scribes captured findings in real time.

The event also drew on experienced U.S. Air Force first sergeants, several of whom previously supported Space Force units.
“Guardians have a unique opportunity to deliberately scope what the first sergeant duty means,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Alysha Ivory, North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command first sergeant. “Bringing leaders together in forums like this creates an invaluable opportunity to share lessons learned and clarify expectations, while ensuring the dedicated human beings behind the first sergeant tab are cared for as well.”

At the end of the session, participants developed a Bullet Background Paper capturing barriers, successful practices and recommendations for the Guardian First Sergeant role. The group intends to refine the document and staff it to the Headquarters U.S. Space Force personnel directorate and senior Space Force leaders following the summit. The recommendations are intended to inform future policy, resourcing and professional-development discussions.
For Burch, sharing that frontline perspective is essential to getting the blueprint right.

“First sergeants are the pulse of the unit; we see how policies impact Guardians, Airmen and their families at 0200 on a Saturday,” Burch said. “First sergeants deal with some of the heaviest, most complex human problems daily. We want to ensure we are giving them everything they need to take care of the people who take care of the mission.”

U.S. Space Force | U.S. Department of War

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