On December 20th of last year, President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020, making the United States Space Force the sixth branch of the military. The idea had been passed around a few times since the mid-1980s, but 2019 saw the first successful initiative to secure funding for a Space Force. This was the first creation of a new branch since the National Security Act of 1947 led to the foundation of the beloved United States Air Force, independent of the Army. With the National Defense Authorization Act, the 14th Air Force was re-designated Space Operations Command, and the six wings within it were re-designated space wings. These wings largely carry out their original roles, managing rockets, satellites, and missile warning systems across the world.
The Space Force is much more similar to the Air Force than its predecessor unit, the Army Air Corps was to the Army proper. As of the writing of this document, the Space Force is using the same rank, organizational, and command structure of its parent branch, albeit on a smaller scale for the time being. As is true with all new organizations, the Space Force is in need of heritage and esprit de corps. Both are vital to the function of a unit. While a number of the space wings and squadrons are as old as the USAF itself, the Space Force as a whole is still a new enterprise in need of a culture of its own. Right now, it is in want of a song, a name for its servicemen and women, and a uniform of its own, though, it is likely to keep the stylish, cost-effective, and comfortable OCP uniform used by both the Army and the Air Force. This is in an effort to increase uniformity throughout the branches of the military without undoing uniform traditions set by different units in this country’s history. The future of the United States Space Force is yet to be known, though it will no-doubt aim high to meet any challenges it may face just as its predecessor branches did before.
