{"id":52259,"date":"2021-11-14T16:16:55","date_gmt":"2021-11-14T16:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/11\/14\/where-will-the-space-national-guard-land\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T20:43:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T20:43:00","slug":"where-will-the-space-national-guard-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2021\/11\/14\/where-will-the-space-national-guard-land\/","title":{"rendered":"Where will the Space National Guard land?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Biden administration is \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/SAP-HR-4350.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">strongly opposed<\/a>\u201d to creating a Space National Guard under the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act, reasoning that it \u201cwould not deliver new capabilities \u2014 it would instead create new government bureaucracy.\u201d Congress, on the other hand, is divided on whether to establish a Space National Guard apart from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units with space missions. Coming on the heels of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=AB7sSG2Rl9k\" target=\"_blank\">NASA\u2019s announcement<\/a> that the Artemis moon landing program is delayed to \u201cno earlier than 2025,\u201d where will Congress land on the issue of creating a new guard?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Should Congress establish a separate Space National Guard?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To rephrase <a href=\"https:\/\/www.britannica.com\/topic\/Miless-law\" target=\"_blank\">Miles\u2019 Law<\/a> from political science, where a Space National Guard lands might depend on where you sit. In July 2021, the Senate Armed Services Committee voted to simply rename the Air National Guard to the \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.armed-services.senate.gov\/press-releases\/-sasc-completes-markup-of-fiscal-year-2022-national-defense-authorization-act\" target=\"_blank\">Air and Space National Guard<\/a>\u201d under the 2022 NDAA. In contrast, the House Armed Services Committee wants an entirely separate Space National Guard. On <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/4350\" target=\"_blank\">Sept. 1<\/a> the Committee voted to include a provision for an entirely separate Space National Guard. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/117th-congress\/house-bill\/4350\/text\" target=\"_blank\">Section 921 of House Resolution 4350<\/a> outlines the requirements for establishing and implementing a Space National Guard, which would require the Secretary of the Air Force and Chief of the National Guard Bureau to implement the Space National Guard no later than 18 months following the Act\u2019s enactment, with annual briefings to Congress for five years. The Act was scheduled for review on the Senate\u2019s legislative calendar on October 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2020\/02\/14\/does-the-space-force-need-a-guard-component-the-national-guard-says-yes\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"208\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP19354453701432.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Does the Space Force need a Guard component? The National Guard says yes.<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Some National Guard adjutant generals are already advocating for a Space National Guard to their local congressional delegations.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why is the White House opposed?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Biden administration is concerned that a Space National Guard would be an inefficient use of resources and create government bureaucracy. This is troubling news for the Space Force because it punctures a major artery in Space Force <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spaceforce.mil\/Portals\/1\/Space%20Capstone%20Publication_10%20Aug%202020.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">doctrine<\/a>. This is because supporting a lean service of Space Force <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spaceforce.mil\/News\/Article\/2452593\/us-space-force-unveils-name-of-space-professionals\/\" target=\"_blank\">guardians<\/a> with organizational agility is the fifth principle of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spaceforce.mil\/Portals\/1\/Space%20Capstone%20Publication_10%20Aug%202020.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">military spacepower<\/a>. Space Force doctrine prioritizes maintaining a \u201clean, mission-focused, digital service,\u201d in addition to seeking a \u201cpeaceful, secure, stable, and accessible space domain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But what is less well defined and communicated to stakeholders, however, is what does a \u201clean\u201d Space Force look like? This is achieved by first \u201cempowering small teams and prizing measured risk-taking as opportunities to rapidly learn and adapt\u201d explains the capstone doctrine. The White House <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2021\/10\/21\/space-national-guard-political-battle-516422\" target=\"_blank\">remains unconvinced, however<\/a>, that a Space National Guard would run in tandem with Space Force\u2019s vision for streamlining procedures to promote space capabilities and reduce bureaucracy. To the contrary, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/SAP-HR-4350.pdf\" target=\"_blank\">the administration said<\/a>, \u201cAir National Guard and Air Force Reserve units with space missions have effectively performed their roles with no adverse effect on DoD\u2019s space mission since the establishment of the Space Force.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Are there additional concerns?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yes, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbo.gov\/publication\/56374\" target=\"_blank\">report <\/a>by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, establishing a Space National Guard could cost almost $500 million annually, with estimated one-time costs ranging between $400 million to $900 million to \u201cconstruct additional facilities (such as armories) and to equip the new units.\u201d Additionally, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2021\/10\/21\/space-national-guard-political-battle-516422\" target=\"_blank\">some analysts<\/a> suggest that a push for a separate Space National Guard is largely being driven by the National Guard Association and parochial interests of lawmakers who \u201care home to space operations\u201d, such as Florida, Hawaii, and Colorado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What is the value of a Space National Guard?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Advocates for a Space National Guard aver that a new organization is \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/opinion\/commentary\/2020\/07\/03\/the-national-guard-the-perfect-space-partner\/\" target=\"_blank\">critical<\/a>\u201d for the United States to maintain its competitive edge in space. \u201cIf the National Guard is excluded from the Space Force, we will illogically be shrinking our competitive space rather than expanding it,\u201d reasons Maj.&nbsp;Gen.&nbsp;James&nbsp;Eifert, Florida\u2019s adjutant general. Last spring, Gen. Daniel Hokanson, chief of the National Guard Bureau, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/2021\/05\/04\/space-national-guard-plans-485368\" target=\"_blank\">testified to the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee<\/a> that establishing a Space National Guard was amongst his \u201cmost pressing concerns.\u201d As major spacefaring powers like Russia and China continue to assiduously develop and deploy, counterspace weapons \u201cspecifically designed to hold U.S. and allied space capabilities at risk,\u201d the United States must enhance its space situational awareness and fortify space assets for communication, research and development, and military defense capabilities, reasons <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spacecom.mil\/Portals\/32\/Images\/cc-vision\/usspacecom-strategic-vision-22feb21.pdf?ver=xW4jfruY-cHS0HfWf6KN9A%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\">Army Gen. James Dickinson, commander of Space Command<\/a>. It is therefore important to recognize that the United States\u2019 space posture exists in a dynamic ecosystem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Recommendations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Returning to the Space Force\u2019s doctrine, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2020\/Nov\/09\/2002531998\/-1\/-1\/0\/CSO%20PLANNING%20GUIDANCE.PDF\" target=\"_blank\">Chief of Space Operations\u2019 Planning Guidance<\/a>, which outlines <a href=\"https:\/\/www.af.mil\/About-Us\/Biographies\/Display\/Article\/108479\/lieutenant-general-john-w-jay-raymond\/\" target=\"_blank\">Gen. John \u201cJay\u201d Raymond<\/a>\u2019s top five priorities for Space Force over the next decade, the very first priority is to \u201cempower a lean and agile service.\u201d This means developing a new field command structure to delegate decision authority and integrate various echelons of command to reduce bureaucracy. Thus, if a Space National Guard is to have a fighting chance of survival in the 2022 NDAA, or future iterations, evidence that it would \u201cempower a lean and agile service\u201d is paramount to rebut these presumptions.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/space\/2021\/09\/23\/space-force-to-share-internal-digital-models-with-industry\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Eyes-of-Argus-Lead-1.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Space Force to share internal digital models with industry<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Since announcing their desire to build the world&#039;s first fully digital service, Space Force officials are fleshing out how that will impact everything from force design to requirements to engineering.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another recommendation is to apply <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Decision-Making-Systems-Engineering-Management\/dp\/0470900423\" target=\"_blank\">systems engineering tools<\/a> to redefine the scope of the problem to Congress, develop criteria to properly screen feasible and non-feasible alternatives, and develop a scoring system to enhance decisionmakers\u2019 ability to assess the best value candidate solution to endorse.  The Space Force is already <a href=\"https:\/\/media.defense.gov\/2020\/Nov\/09\/2002531998\/-1\/-1\/0\/CSO%20PLANNING%20GUIDANCE.PDF\" target=\"_blank\">employing model-based systems engineering methods<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/digital-show-dailies\/air-force-association\/2021\/09\/23\/space-force-to-share-internal-digital-models-with-industry\/\" target=\"_blank\">novel acquisition standards<\/a> to incubate a digital service in 2021, why not apply these same tools to the Space National Guard issue? Although there are substantial concerns about creating a Space National Guard, applying systems engineering management is one means to help Space National Guard proponents bridge this communication barrier with stakeholders. To protect the flame of innovation for the responsible and peaceful use of space, proper planning ultimately accelerates growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Zhanna Malekos Smith, J.D., is a senior associate with the Strategic Technologies Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C., and an assistant professor in the Department of Systems Engineering at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Accordingly, all views, positions, and conclusions expressed in this publication should be understood to be solely those of the author(s) and not that of CSIS, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. government.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Editor\u2019s note: This is an Op-Ed and as such, the opinions expressed are those of the author. If you would like to respond, or have an editorial of your own you would like to submit, please contact Military Times senior managing editor Howard Altman,&nbsp;<\/i><a href=\"mailto:haltman@militarytimes.com\"><i>haltman@militarytimes.com<\/i><\/a><i>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Congress is divided on whether to establish a Space National Guard apart from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units with space missions.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":28373,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":97,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[97,29,117,35,17],"tags":[8572],"coauthors":[4059],"class_list":["post-52259","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-home","category-middle-column","category-newsletters","category-opinion","tag-commentary"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"5YE5OATNZVAANCHJBOJ3RWJIQI","arc_canonical_url":"\/opinion\/commentary\/2021\/11\/14\/where-will-the-space-national-guard-land\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Where will the Space National Guard land? - Military Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Congress is divided on whether to establish a Space National Guard apart from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units with space missions.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Where will the Space National Guard land?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Congress is divided on whether to establish a Space National Guard apart from the Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units with space missions.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/commentary\/2021\/11\/14\/where-will-the-space-national-guard-land\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Military Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-11-14T16:16:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-18T20:43:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Zhanna L. 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