US Space Force PDF

SPACE FORCE The U.S. military protects the country and its citizens. The Space Force is organized under the U.S. Air Force. The Space Force was initially formed as Air Force Space Command in 1982. The US government established the Space Force in 2019. Its headquarters is at the Pentagon in Ar...

SPACE FORCE The U.S. military protects the country and its citizens. The Space Force is organized under the U.S. Air Force. The Space Force was initially formed as Air Force Space Command in 1982. The US government established the Space Force in 2019. Its headquarters is at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. It also has locations in California, Colorado, and Florida. The Space Force is part of the Department of the Air Force, one of the three parts of Department of Defense. It is led by the Secretary of the Air Force, who is under the Secretary of Defense. The leader of the Space Force is called the Chief of Space Operations. At its creation, 16,000 military and civilian personnel were assigned to the Space Force. As of January 2023, the service consisted of 4,286 enlisted service members and 4,314 officers. It is the smallest branch of the U.S. military. The Space Force trains personnel, called Guardians, to launch and operate communications, navigation, and observation satellites to ensure the safety and security of the United States and its allies. They also make sure the US can operate freely in space. The motto of the Space Force is Semper supra, meaning “Always above” in Latin. ENLISTING To enlist in the Space Force, a person must be 17 to 39 years of age and a U.S. citizen with a high school diploma or GED. Recruits take the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) to determine placement within the Space Force. They are also screened on moral and physical standards set by the Space Force and Department of Defense. Recruits are paired with a counselor to determine placement options based on a person’s strengths and the needs of the Service. If a person is interested in becoming an officer, he or she should submit an application through his or her recruiter and take the Air Force Officer Qualifying Test (AFOQT). It assesses a person’s verbal, math, and other skills. To be considered as an officer, a person must have an undergraduate or postgraduate college degree. If he or she is a good fit, the next step is attending Officer Training School at ©Teaching to the Middle Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. TASKS The Space Force is divided into three main divisions: Field commands, Deltas, and squadrons. The Space Force oversees the Global Positioning System (GPS), a space-based navigation system that allows user to determine accurate locations and directions. The Space Force also detects missile launches, provide weather information, and other secured communications to troops worldwide, and develops new space-related technology. The guardians also monitor space debris, such as obsolete satellites and discarded rocket boosters, that may encounter spacecraft or that may reenter Earth’s atmosphere. The Space Force has units tasked with tracking threats to satellites and other spacecraft, such as jamming GPS data, using lasers to blind satellites’ optical sensors, and destructive anti-satellite missiles. The X-37B is a Boeing-built space plane whose missions remain largely mysterious. SYMBOL & UNIFORMS The Space Force symbol was first used in 1961. It is a Delta symbol that honors the heritage of the US Air Force and Space Command. The silver outer border of the delta signifies defense and protection from all opponents and threats in the space domain. The black area inside symbolizes the vast darkness of deep space. In the center, a symbol representing the North Star, Polaris, represents the core values that guide Space Force, as the North Star has guided travelers for ages. Four triangular elements alongside the North Star represent four branches of the U.S. Armed Forces: the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines. Two bright lines in the top of the delta symbol represent a rocket launching into orbit. This element symbolizes the central role of Space Force in overseeing launch operation on behalf of the Pentagon. The flag of the Space Force has the same images. Guardian uniforms feature a dark navy coat with silver thread on the sleeve braiding. This represents futurism and the vastness of space. Six silver buttons, to represent that the Space Force is the sixth branch of the military, run diagonally along the right side of the body. Each button is embossed with the Space Force seal. MISSIONS Guardians also support commercial and NASA missions because ©Teaching to the Middle the US-flagged spacecrafts are considered national assets. Space Force will aid in human’s return to the moon in the Artemis program. They will ensure spaceflight safety and assist in the astronauts’ return to Earth when the time comes.