By Amanda Huffman
Contributing Writer
On December 20, 2019, the U.S. Space Force was created when the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act was signed into law. The need for the Space Force was born out of the quickly evolving space domain and growing threat posed by near peer competitors in space. In five years, the Space Force has gone from an idea on paper to a force working to protect our Nation’s interest in, to, and from space.
Many people today still do not know the Space Force exists or understands its purpose. Most of its work goes unseen, even though people may use the technology the Space Force has created.
Leadership and Structure Creation
At the inception of the Space Force, Gen. Jay Raymond, who had been leading the Air Force Space Command, became its first member and the Chief of Space Operations. He was tasked with building the Space Force’s structure and adding new members to it. He also led the process of transferring servicemembers, many of them members of the Air Force, into the Space Force.
The Space Force created three field commands, 16 Deltas (USSF organizational units) along with 3 Base Deltas that provide mission support functions. The three field commands are Space Operations Command (SpOC), Space Systems Command (SSC), and Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM).
Defining the Space Force Culture
The Space Force has had the task of creating a specific culture for itself. It has placed the delta icon, which has long been a symbol of space development, on the flag, seal, and patch of Space Force uniforms. Despite common pop-culture inferences, the delta symbol was actually borrowed from the military, which created it in 1962, four years before the TV Show Star Trek aired.
The Space Force also worked to create a song and service dress uniform. Enlisted members in the Space Force are called Guardians.
In the beginning, there was negative feedback from the general media about the Space Force’s choices, but the command continued forward with its ideas and symbols created to help incorporate this new branch into the Total Force.
Manpower Transfer
The Space Force began transferring servicemembers in 2020, beginning with selected career fields within the Air Force — Airmen whose careers directly related to space — and then moved on to space-adjacent career fields. The Space Force then began taking applications in 2021 from career fields in the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps, and transfers began in 2022. Both civilian and military roles transferred through this process. Today, the Space Force has more than 14,000 members, and approximately 9,400 of them are on active duty.
Mission-Focused
In 2023, the Space Force updated its mission statement, which originally cited that its purpose was to protect the U.S. interests in space and provide space capabilities to the joint forces. It reframed it by adding “in, from and to” to the mission statement, making it: Secure our Nation’s interests in, from, and to space. Two additional focus points helped change the mission to help the U.S. stay out in front of the competition from other countries’ space programs.
Five years after it was created, the Space Force is now woven into the Department of Defense. While its first few years as a brand-new service were spent taking time to build its foundation and programs needed for the service to operate, the Space Force now delivers unmatched space capabilities, defending and protecting our space assets, while also working to create new capabilities for the United States.
Amanda is a military Veteran who served in the Air Force for six years as a Civil Engineer who served on a combat deployment with the Army in Afghanistan. She traded in her combat boots for a diaper bag to stay home with her two boys and follow her husband’s military career in the Space Force. Amanda is the host of the Women of the Military podcast. There she shares the stories of women who have served or are serving in the military. The podcast has over 200 episodes and over 100K downloads. Amanda is also an author and has published two books. Her first book, Women of the Military tells the stories of 28 military women who served in the military. Her second book, A Girl’s Guide to Military Service, is the IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Winner for Teen Non Fiction. It is a guide for high school girls considering military service to help them build a strong foundation for their future career. She also works as a freelance writer and has been featured in a number of military publications including The War Horse, Military.com, Military Families Magazine, Clearance Jobs, Military Spouse Magazine, and more.
