Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump promised to create a standalone Space National Guard if he's elected president in November.
Trump made the promise before 4,000 members of the National Guard Association of the United States in a speech on Monday in Detroit.
"As president, I will sign historic legislation creating a Space National Guard," Trump said. "So we're going to do that. Space Force has been very important, very, very important."
The issue is a major initiative supported by the National Guard but by few others. The Air Force, Space Force, and the Biden-Harris administration oppose the idea.
In fact, Space Force eschewed a National Guard model used by the Army and Air Force, opting instead for the creation of an active-duty part-time model, Military.com reported.
However, that was met with resistance from governors of 48 states and five U.S. territories who opposed shifting thousands of Air National Guard members to the Space Force, writing to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that the Biden administration plan "reduces governors' authority within their states and territories, and undermines longstanding partnerships, precedence, military readiness, and operational efficacy," according to the report.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, now the running mate of Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris, was one of the 48 governors who opposed the idea, according to the Military Times.
National Guard officials argue that 10% of Space Force manpower comes from Air National Guard units anyway, according to the Military Times. And Trump agrees with their call for a reserve model.
"One of my proudest achievements in my first term was to create Space Force, the first new branch of the armed forces in over 70 years; it's a big deal," he said. "Now that Space Force is up and running, I agree with your leadership — you want this very badly — but I agree that the time has come to create a Space National Guard as the primary combat reserve of the U.S. Space Force."
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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