Space Force, United States, abbreviated USSF, is a branch of the country’s armed forces created in 2019. The mission of the Space Force is to train, equip, and organize personnel to protect the United States and its interests in space. The organization serves as an extension into space of the traditional armed forces, which protect the country by land, air, and sea. The USSF became the first new military service developed since the establishment of the Air Force in 1947. The Space Force falls under the guidance of the Air Force, in much the same way that the U.S. Marine Corps is part of the Navy.
The Space Force is tasked with protecting satellites, providing cybersecurity, and patrolling the country’s skies beyond Earth’s atmosphere. Cybersecurity is the practice of securing computer systems from unauthorized use. The Space Force contributes to cybersecurity by protecting satellites used to transmit Global Positioning System (GPS) and other network signals.
President Donald Trump issued a directive establishing the Space Force on Feb. 19, 2019. The force was established on Dec. 20, 2019. General John W. Raymond was appointed the first Chief of Space Operations of the Space Force. The USSF headquarters is in the Pentagon building in Washington, D.C., along with the headquarters of the Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy.
Members of the Space Force are known as guardians. Guardians wear camouflage uniforms with dark blue stitching. The first two primary Space Force bases are the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and Patrick Space Force Base in Florida. The Space Force started with 6,000 active-duty troops and was expected to grow to tens of thousands of military and civilian personnel.
Before the Space Force was established, the Air Force Space Command managed space operations for the military. The Air Force Space Command was created on Sep. 1, 1982. Parts of the Air Force Space Command were gradually transferred to the Space Force. The Space Force works with other organizations, including the United States Space Command. The United States Space Command is a unified combatant command, meaning it involves the United States Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Navy. The Space Force equips, organizes, and trains personnel for the Space Command. The Space Force has collaborated with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the country’s nonmilitary space agency.
