WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force got a political boost Oct. 20 with the announcement that a bipartisan group of House members formed a Space Force Caucus to advocate on behalf of the military’s newest service.
Reps. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), Kendra Horn (D-Okla.), Brian Babin (R-Texas), Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), and Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) are the inaugural members. Lamborn and Horn are co-chairs.
“This caucus will serve as the chief advocate for our nation’s exciting new service, and work closely with the Department of the Air Force and the Space Force to provide opportunities for members and their staff to learn about the vital role the U.S. Space Force plays in maintaining American space power,” Lamborn said in a statement.
“Maintaining superiority in space is essential to protecting our national security and U.S. interests around the world,” Horn said. “I look forward to working with the Air Force and Space Force leadership and my co-chairs to advocate for the importance of space priorities and the needs of our Space Force professionals.”
The standup of the House Space Force Caucus follows the creation last month of a Senate Space Force Caucus led by Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.).
Lamborn and Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) in 2015 formed the House Space Power Caucus to educate members on the role of space in national security.
Source: SpaceNews
One reply on “Bipartisan group of lawmakers launches House Space Force Caucus”
This is my humble suggestion for the US Space Force Ranks
I attempt to honor history, use traditional military terminology, create separation between USSF and USAF, be creative and resolve Colonel/Captain/Lieutenant conflicting terms between service use. Thank you for considering and please share.
Officers
O10 Space Marshal or Captain Marshal
(Chief of Space Operations, Unified Joint Commands)
O9 Commander Marshal
(Commander of Field Command)
O8 Commandant Marshal (Commandant of Training and Readiness Command)
O7 Commodore Marshal
(Historical-Staff)
O6 Captain-Colonel
(Historical origin of word Colonel and unifies Air Force/Navy)
O5 Commander-Colonel
(unifies Air Force/Navy, unit/squadron commander)
O4 Commandant-Major or
Commander-Major
(Historical French use – Staff)
O3 Captain-Lieutenant or Senior Lieutenant
(Unifies conflicting uses, flight/detachment/troop/project supervisor)
O2 Sub-Lieutenant or Lieutenant
(generalized current use, element/team/squad/crew supervisor)
O1 Ensign
(supervisor trainee/bachelors degree/Academy/ROTC/OTC-Indicates break from legacy or change to maritime orientation)
Warrant Officers
W5 Command Chief Warrant Officer (USSF HQ Technical Advisor/Specialist)
W4 Master Chief Warrant Officer
(Field Command Technical Advisor/Specialist)
W3 Senior Chief Warrant Officer
(Unit/Delta/Garrison Technical Advisor/Specialist)
W2 Chief Warrant Officer
(Unit/Squadron Technical Advisor/Specialist)
W1 Warrant Officer
(Technical Project Specialist/Bachelor’s Degree)
Enlisted
E9 Master Chief Specialist of the Space Force (HQ Chief Specialist/Enlisted Leader)
E9 Master Chief Specialist
(Field Command Chief Specialist/Enlisted Leader)
E8 Senior Chief Specialist
(Unit/Delta/Garrison Chief Specialist/Enlisted Leader)
E7 Chief Specialist
(Unit/Squadron Chief Specialist/Enlisted Leader)
E6 Operations Specialist
(Operation/Project/flight/detachment/troop Leader)
E5 Crew Specialist
(Element/Crew/Team/squad leader)
E4 Specialist
(Master skill level/Associates Degree)
E3 Rating / Operator, Analyst, Other (Journeyman skill level)
E2 Apprentice
(Introductory technical school-practical experience skill level)
E1 Basic
(basic military trainee)
….
I suspect the the first ships the will be used by United States Space Force will be something like the SpaceX Starship with a crew capacity of no more than 100. A ship that size could easily be a part of a squadron of around 6 to 12 ships that is a part of Space Delta 9 (Orbital Warfare Delta). The Delta would be commanded by an O-6 officer, the Squadron by an O-5, and the ship by an O-3 or O-4. If this is the case the best place for the rank of Captain (Cap-Leut) is at O-3. The O-4 (Comt-Major)would be squadron XO commanding one flight and the O-5 (Comd-Col) commanding the Squadron and the other flight. The O-6 (Capt-Col) would be in command of the Delta that would consist of multiple type of orbital warfare Squadrons.
The 100 passengers on the ship is a company size unit lead by a captain O-3 and could be something like an army air assault unit. I don’t know what the future holds, I just think we need to allow the USSF to grow naturally into the roles it will need to play. I realize that congress is responsible for the oversight of the military but don’t think the the new service should be forced into the pattern of any of the earthbound services.