National Guard to Play Important Role in Space Force: General

The U.S. Space Force will incorporate National Guard units that already have a space-related mission, according to the head of Air Force Space Command.

"We rely very heavily on the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserve forces, and that's going to continue in the future," said Air Force Gen. John "Jay" Raymond during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee to become the new head of U.S. Space Command.

"They operate really critical capabilities. They provide a capacity, a resource capacity, and we're going to rely on them. They're seamlessly integrated," he said Tuesday.

In March, officials announced that Raymond had been nominated to lead U.S. Space Command. Pentagon officials said at the time that, if confirmed, he would continue leading Air Force Space Command along with U.S. Space Command. The current Senate version of the Fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act legislation would also require Raymond to lead Space Force for at least a year.

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Guard units across seven states already have space missions, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-New Hampshire, said during the hearing. That includes roughly 1,500 airmen conducting space-related operations in Ohio, Alaska, Colorado, Florida, New York, Arkansas and California.

Raymond's comments come as other officials want to make sure there is a place for the Guard in the Space Force structure.

Last month, Air National Guard director Lt. Gen. L. Scott Rice said that, while details are still being worked out, ANG units are "all in" for space operations.

During an Air Force Association breakfast in Washington, D.C., Rice said the Pentagon is looking to leverage the state forces that already have space-related operations.

"My job is to make sure it works. How would I present the operational piece and the bureaucracy for a new Space Force? I would do it from those seven states. I would not do 54 states and territories of Space National Guard," he said.

However, the Air National Guard is setting up two new space squadrons in two more states, which would also be incorporated into the Space Force structure in the near future, Rice said.

"We are looking at standing up more capability for space control squadrons in the Pacific," he told reporters after his presentation at the breakfast, as reported by Federal News Network.

"We are under review on where we are going to do that and how we are looking at that. The timeline is within the next month, two new squadrons in two new states."

He did not reveal the locations under consideration.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.