{"id":30763,"date":"2020-01-12T19:04:01","date_gmt":"2020-01-12T19:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2020\/01\/12\/hawaii-air-national-guard-to-create-space-force-squadron\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:58:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:58:52","slug":"hawaii-air-national-guard-to-create-space-force-squadron","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/news\/your-air-force\/2020\/01\/12\/hawaii-air-national-guard-to-create-space-force-squadron\/","title":{"rendered":"Hawaii Air National Guard to create Space Force squadron"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

HONOLULU \u2014 The Hawaii Air National Guard will start selecting candidates in April for one of four space control squadrons in the country in the Air National Guard, military officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The state Air Guard would select 88 military members for the 293rd Space Control Squad based at the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Honolulu Star-Advertiser<\/a> reports.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not going to be able to hire 88 on day one, because it\u2019s highly technical positions,\u201d Hawaii Air Guard commander Brig. Gen. Ryan Okahara said. \u201cSo it\u2019s going to take us a while. But because of that a third of the people that we start the unit with will be likely trained, experienced space officers and space enlisted that are in other locations.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Operations by the new squadron are classified, but their main objective is to protect and defend our satellite communication systems, he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The announcement comes after President Donald Trump signed the $738 billion National Defense Authorization Act in December funding the military and creating the Space Force, the first new armed service since 1947. <\/p>\n\n\n\t