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Bipartisian legislation introduced last week in both chambers of Congress would create a Space National Guard, fulfilling what Senate sponsors said was President Donald Trump’s “promise to do so in his second term.”
Trump made the pledge while addressing NGAUS members at the 146th General Conference & Exhibition last summer in Detroit.
The Space National Guard Establishment Act would transform 14 Air National Guard units with space missions across seven states into a reserve component of the U.S. Space Force.
The units are in Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, New York and Ohio. They provide 30% of the military's space operations squadrons and 60% of its electromagnetic warfare capabilities.
Sens. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, and John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., introduced the bill in the Senate.
Co-sponsors include Sens. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Jim Risch, R-Idaho, and Rick Scott, R-Fla.
Reps. Jason Crow, D-Colo., and Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., launched identical legislation in the House.
“I’m proud to introduce bipartisan legislation to establish a Space National Guard, a common-sense step that will go a long way towards ensuring America’s national security,” Crow said in a joint press release with Boebert.
“This bipartisan bill will prioritize the safety and security of Americans while saving taxpayer dollars and eliminating wasteful bureaucracy that all Americans want to see less of,” Boebert added.
The bill would allow Guard space units to continue supporting Space Force missions uninterrupted without any new personnel, units or facilities.
It would also override Air Force Legislative Proposal 480, according to the Senate press release.
LP 480 transfers Air National Guard space professionals to a single-component Space Force without the legally required consent of their governors.
Despite widespread opposition in Congress, the proposal found its way into the fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act.
However, most Air Guard space professionals indicate in surveys they will not transfer, which would leave the U.S. military with a gap in space capabilities and readiness.
“National Guard space professionals are some of the most highly trained and experienced personnel in our military,” said retired Maj. Gen. Francis M. McGinn, the NGAUS president.
“For many years, NGAUS has advocated the best way to keep them in the fight is to create a Space National Guard as the primary combat reserve of the U.S. Space Force, similar to how the Army and Air National Guard currently operate with their parent services.
“The Space National Guard Establishment Act is a commonsense solution that ensures the Space Force won't have to take a knee on readiness,” McGinn added. “I thank Sens. Crapo and Hickenlooper and Reps. Crow and Boebert for leading the charge on this issue.”
— By John Goheen
