Explained | US Space Force: What does it do now?

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The story so far: On September 20, the United States Space Force unveiled its official song ‘Semper Supra’ — “Always Above” in Latin and the Force’s motto— three years after the Force’s creation. The sixth military branch of the United States, the Space Force was set up 73 years after the US Air Force was separated as an independent military branch from the US Army in 1947.

Arranged by Sean Nelson — the chief musician of the US Coast Guard Band — the song was penned by James Teachenor, a singer/songwriter and a prior member of the U.S. Air Force band. Mr. Teachenor started working on the song with Gen. John “Jay” Raymond, the Chief of Space Operations when the Space Force was formed in 2019.

Air Force Band members and guests sing the new U.S. Space Force service song during the 2022 Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Md., Sept. 20, 2022 | Photo Credit: Eric Dietrich

Already ridiculed for its logo, which bears a resemblance to that of the hit franchise ‘Star Trek’, the U.S Space Force faced criticism for its song, being called a ‘parody, not an anthem’. Many social media users suggested alternate movie theme songs which were upbeat and fit the space theme better. Several users also suggested that the Space Force should once again be merged with the Air Force.

“The song was a long work in progress because I wanted it to encompass all the capabilities that the Space Force offers and its vision,” said James Teachenor at the 2022 Air & Space Forces Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbor, Maryland where the song was unveiled.

Since being carved out of the US Air Force in 2019, the US Space Force has run into a myriad of issues, including its own purpose, budgetary allocations and its future. Here’s a look at the US’ sixth military branch— its inception, its split from Air Force during the Trump era, challenges and what it does now.

Inception of US Space Force

The concept of a separate military branch dedicated to space first emerged in the 1990s when the United States began relying on satellites while undertaking ground combat. In 2000, the Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization recommended that a special ‘Space Corps’ should be created to form a ‘seamless aerospace continuum’.

The Committee which was chaired by then-Secretary of Defence Donald H. Rumsfeld also recommended setting up a Presidential Space Advisory Group to keep him informed on US space activity. The Committee’s other recommendations included –

• A bureaucratic structure with officers, an undersecretary of defense for space, intelligence, and information, and a commander-in-chief
• Officers with space career backgrounds rather than only recruiting combat operators
• Organisation, training and preparation of equipment for prompt and sustained offensive and defensive air and space operations
• Developing, defending and submitting a ‘Space Program Plan’ by a specially-appointed Space Executive Agent (SAE) – who would oversee and harmonize the space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance functions of the Space Force and Air Force and their space system procurement efforts.

However, after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 and the consequent invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, the plan was shelved. The idea was only resurrected in 2017 when the House of Representatives passed legislation directing the Defense Department to create a “space corps” as a new military service within the Air Force. However, the Pentagon under the Trump administration opposed the move saying that it would add to Pentagon’s complexity and organizational chart and cost more money. The Bill was stalled in the Republican-controlled Senate.

Trump introduces ‘Space Force’

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In March 2018, then-US President Donald Trump suggested the creation of another military branch called the ‘Space Force’, while addressing an audience of Marines at the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station in San Diego, California.

He said, “Space is a war-fighting domain just like the land, air, and sea. We have the Air Force, we’ll have the space force. We have the Army, the Navy,” adding “I was saying it the other day—because we’re doing a tremendous amount of work in space—I said, maybe we need a new force. We’ll call it the space force”.

After Mr. Trump’s ‘war in space’ declaration, many experts remained skeptical as the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 bans the placement of weapons of mass destruction in the Earth’s orbit. However, some have pointed that there is no comprehensive treaty on the use of space weapons, nor any international agreement on the definition of such a weapon, which leaves open the possibility of a space conflict.

Donald Trump announcing ‘Space Force’ at San Diego event | Photo Credit: Alex Gallardo

What is ‘Space Force’? What does it do?

In 2019, the US Space Force (USSF) was set up after the bipartisan National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law by Mr. Trump. As per the USSF’s official website, the military service organizes, trains, and equips space forces to protect U.S. and allied interests in space and to provide space capabilities to the joint force. It also develops ‘space guardians’, acquires military space systems and forms the military doctrine for space power.

The USSF also safeguards American satellite systems which are interwoven into daily Americans’ lives via GPS technology, digital systems, communication and the US economy. The USSF has multiple bases in Colorado’s Peterson, Schriever, Buckley, Cheyenne Mt, and Greenland, New Hampshire’s New Boston, Florida’s Patrick, California’s Vandenberg and Hawaii’s Kaena Pt and Maui. With $15 billion in annual spending, the USSF commands dozens of military satellites and tracks over 24,000 objects in space.

Led by Chief of Space Operations General Jay Raymond, the USSF Headquarters is situated in the Pentagon in Washington D.C and members of the space force consist of uniformed and civilian personnel conducting and supporting space operations as part of Air Force Space Command. Initially, 16,000 military and civilian space personnel were assigned to the Space Force in 2019. As of 2022, there are 8,600 active-duty space force members.

President Donald Trump shakes hands with Gen. Jay Raymond, after signing the letter of his appointment as the chief of space operations for U.S. Space Command during a signing ceremony for the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Friday, Dec. 20, 2019. | Photo Credit: Andrew Harnik

Mockery of the USSF

On January 25, 2020, after much deliberation, the Trump administration unveiled the Space Force logo – triggering immediate comparison’s to the Star Trek insignia. However, several military experts say that the logo is based on the Air Force Space Command’s logo, whose satellite operation duties have been subsumed by the USSF.

Eleven months later, on December 19, 2020, the USSF named its members as ‘Guardians’. While many on social media once again ridiculed the name, comparing it to the Marvel sp in-off ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, the USSF strongly defended it stating that the term ‘Guardians’ signifies the original command motto of Air Force Space Command in 1983, ‘Guardians of the High Frontier’.

The Guardians’ uniform too evoked comparisons to the sci-fi series ‘Battlestar Galactica’, inviting further mocking of the USSF.

USSF was also the main target of the 2020 Netflix hit-comedy series ‘Space Force’ which parodied the establishment of the sixth military branch – touting it as a vanity military project to ‘catch satellites of other nations’ in space. With its lead character (Steve Carell) portrayed as a bumbling Air Force general unsure of the Force’s mission and wasting government funds on infeasible projects such as militarizing the moon by 2024, the series portrayed its titular Space Force as incompetent and ridiculous.

Cast of Netflix series ‘Space Force’ | Photo Credit: Netflix

While Mr. Trump touted Space Force as an armed force to ‘protect US space assets’ from competitors like China and Russia— hinting at the militarization of space— the USSF does not actually have any bases or cadets in space. Furthermore, as it consists only Air Force officers, it is more of a reshuffling exercise of Air Force personnel and its space operations, rather than any further militarization.

The USSF mainly runs America’s GPS system along with detecting the launch of ballistic missiles. It also launched its first mission on March 20, 2020 - the sixth and final Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF-6) military communications satellite to Earth orbit via the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket.

What does the Space Force do now?

After Mr. Trump lost the Presidential election in 2020, many experts were wary of Mr. Biden dismantling the USSF. Their fears were quelled when the Space Force flag appeared on the Capitol along with the flags of the other armed forces at Mr. Biden’s inauguration on January 20, 2021. Moreover, dismantling the US Space Force would require an act of Congress as well as a massive bureaucratic effort to revert military space organizations back to the Air Force.

“It’s just not worth it. At this point, we have spent thousands and thousands of hours and years of effort to create this new bureaucracy in the hope that it will address these challenges. At this point, we have no choice but to see that through,” said Brian Weeden, a former space operations officer for the Air Force, in an interview with Defence News.

He added that the new administration must depoliticize the USSF, initiate a public discussion about how far the U.S. military would go to deter attacks on its space assets from enemies and threats from China and Russia, and clarify to the public that the USSF will not send troops to the moon but rather focus on satellites in Earth orbit or in cislunar space (area between earth and moon). Many experts have urged the US President to clearly demarcate the roles of NASA and the Space Force and better inform the public.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket launches the AEHF-6 satellite for the U.S. Space Force on March 26, 2020 | Photo Credit: United Launch Alliance

In March 2022, the Biden administration sought $24.5 billion for the U.S. Space Force and the Space Development Agency for the fiscal year 2023 beginning on October 1. The proposed budgetwas $5 billion more than what Congress agreed on in 2022. The administration sought $3.6 billion for procurement of satellites and launch services, $4 billion for operations and maintenance, $15.8 billion for research and testing and $1 billion for personnel costs.

The budget includes $1.1 billion for three national security space launches (NSSL) and $314 million to launch three batches of Space Development Agency satellites to low Earth orbit. As of September 30, the US Congress and the Senate have passed an interim spending bill to save government from shutting down till December 16.

On August 15, the USSF took over all military satellite communications from the US Army, in addition to the Air Force’s communication which was already being handled by the USSF. Moreover, 500 Army personnel from the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command, based in Huntsville, Alabama, have been transferred to the USSF. The Army has also transferred roughly $78 million of its budget to the Space Force for 2022 to expand its infrastructure. Previously in June, the Naval Satellite Operations Center (NAVSOC) was placed under the Space Force’s Space Delta 8 – giving the USSF complete control over the US military’s communication.s