Air National Guard transfer proposal would put America behind in space
By Maj. Gen. Rich Neely
Apr 17, 11:42 AM
Two F-35 Lightning IIs assigned to the 34th Fighter Generation Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, return to base after participating in the 2023 William Tell competition at the Savannah Air National Guard base in Savannah, Ga., Sept. 15, 2023. (Senior Airman Zachary Rufus/Air Force)
On March 19, the secretary of the U.S. Air Force sent a legislative proposal to Congress that calls for the transfer of Air National Guard space missions, equipment, and personnel to the U.S. Space Force. The proposal, known as LP 480, also includes language that overrides the section of the law that requires governors to consent to changes to their National Guard units.
As an adjutant general, LP 480 presents a multitude of concerns. It would set a precedent for moving state forces to a federal chain of command without the governor’s consent and would reduce a state’s capability to respond to state emergencies without any input from the state. It would also create unnecessary costs for American taxpayers.
By Jonathan Lehrfeld and Rachel S. Cohen
And LP 480 would degrade America’s space capabilities.
Last year, Gen. B. Chance Saltzman, the chief of Space Operations, told Congress that the Air National Guard’s roughly 1,000 space professionals make more than 30% of American space capability and a whopping 60% of the nation’s electromagnetic warfare capability.
LP 480 would move about 1,000 positions (known in the military as billets) from the Air National Guard to the Space Force. However, because the service members that occupy those positions signed contracts with the National Guard, they cannot be forced to transfer to the Space Force and must do so voluntarily.
https://www.c4isrnet.com/opinion/2024/04/17/air-national-guard-transfer-proposal-would-put-america-behind-in-space/
