Patrick Air Force Base and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Florida's Space Coast will likely get a name change in 2020 after President Donald Trump signed the establishment of a Space Force into law Dec. 20.
The fiscal 2020 defense authorization bill authorized the Space Force as a sixth military service under the Department of the Air Force.
"Space is the world's newest war-fighting domain," Trump said during the signing ceremony. "Amid grave threats to our national security, American superiority in space is absolutely vital. And we're leading, but we're not leading by enough. But very shortly we'll be leading by a lot."
About 16,000 Air Force active duty and civilian personnel are being assigned to the Space Force, which does not yet have a uniform or logo.
But a name change is likely for Patrick Air Force Base and the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
"They probably will have something with Space Force in them," 45th Space Wing commander Brig. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess told Spectrum News. "No change to what we actually do, but changes to what they call them."
Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.