Space National Guard Bill Reintroduced in the U.S. Senate
Space National Guard Bill Reintroduced in the U.S. Senate
Florida Senator Marco Rubio Sponsors the Measure
Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) and colleagues have reintroduced the Space National Guard Establishment Act of 2024 to establish a Space National Guard.
Air National Guard units conducting U.S. Space Force missions are currently housed under the U.S. Air Force. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2024 directed a study to determine the next steps for these units, including the potential of creating a Space National Guard.
Creating a Space National Guard would boost military readiness and efficiency. It would also ensure that the Space Force retains needed talent. I look forward to working with my colleagues to pass this common-sense bill,” Senator Rubio said on a news release posted on his website
Senators Laphonza Butler (D-CA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), James Risch (R-ID), Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Rick Scott (R-FL), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Bill Hagerty (R-TN) are original cosponsors.
The bill was originally introduced in 2022 by Rubio and the late Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA). At the time the two wrote an op-ed piece for Defense News promoting the legislation.
"Our space units should operate as a seamless team, but they can’t do that while divided between two services. Instead, they’re dependent on added bureaucracy to conduct basic functions — training troops, acquiring resources, setting standards, inspecting units and mobilizing personnel. The division also makes it impossible to build a strong organizational culture," the senators wrote.
"Moreover, unless the Air National Guard’s space units are transformed into a Space National Guard, those units may lose their space mission. That would come at great cost. We would likely lose the wealth of expertise that exists in 14 Air National Guard space units in seven states (Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, New York and Ohio) as well as Guam."