Chief Master Sgt. Roger Towberman (R), Space Force and Command Senior Enlisted Leader and CMSgt Roger Towberman (L), with Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett present US President Donald Trump with the official flag of the United States Space Force in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC on May 15, 2020. ( Samuel Corum-Pool/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — The House Armed Services military personnel subcommittee draft of the fiscal 2024 defense policy bill, obtained by Breaking Defense, would establish a Space National Guard, as well as approve the Biden administration’s plan to create a “hybrid Space Component” comprising both full- and part-time Guardians in lieu of a separate Space Force Reserve.
In addition, the subcommittee’s markup of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would add 800 Guardians to the Space Force’s active duty end-strength, as requested by the service — including establishing a dedicated Space Force legislative liaison. The Space Force currently relies on the Air Force to run its relationships with Congress.
The question of a Space National Guard has been a hot potato since the establishment of the Space Force in 2019. After more than a year of dithering, the Biden administration in 2021 rejected the idea due largely to cost concerns, with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) finding that creation of a separate Guard branch for space would cost up to $500 million annually and provide no new capabilities.
However, OMB’s cost estimates have been fiercely rebutted by top National Guard brass from all 50 states, as well as the National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS).
Further, key House and Senate Armed Services members representing states with a large number of Air National Guard space specialists have weighed in to support the creation of a separate Space National Guard. Sens. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., and Marco Rubio, R.-Fla, on Feb. 16 re-introduced legislation to create a Space Guard. On the House side, Colorado Democrat Rep. Jason Crow and Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn — who chairs the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee responsible for overseeing Pentagon space policy and programs — followed suit on May 2.
The administration’s plan to fold Air Force Reserve specialists into a new Space Component, under a legislative proposal entitled ““Space Force Personnel Management Act,” has been much less controversial. Senior Space Force officials have painted the concept as “transformational,” and argued it will help ensure recruiting of specialized talent that otherwise might be scooped up by the private sector.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R.-Ala., intends to hold a hearing June 21 on the NDAA; the Senate schedule remains unclear.
