FOR RELEASE: July 7, 2022
CONTACT: Colorado National Guard Public Affairs, 720-250-1053, ng.co.coarng.list.militarysupport@army.mil
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Air National Guard states with critical U.S. space capabilities will host a media round table about the impact of National Guard state partnerships in the space domain, July 8, 2022, at 1 p.m. Mountain Time, via an online platform.
ANG Citizen-Airmen from California, Colorado, and New York will be available to talk about how their National Guard state partnerships are essential to U.S. Space Command’s top objective to strengthen and expand collective space power with Allies and Partners via security cooperation.
Through the National Guard’s State Partnership Program, California partners with Nigeria and Ukraine, Colorado with Jordan and Slovenia, and New York with Brazil and South Africa.
SPP military-to-military engagements facilitate cooperation across all aspects of international civil-military affairs and encourage people-to-people ties at the state level.
NG space is a force multiplier for U.S. Space Command and other Combatant Commanders’ access and interoperability efforts with Allies and Partners via the SPP.
“This is another example of how space capabilities resident in the Air National Guard support our National Defense Strategy,” The Adjutant General of Colorado U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Laura Clellan said. “The establishment of a Space National Guard will ensure that enduring and strategic international state partnerships can continue to contribute to space security.”
The SPP has been successfully building relationships for almost three decades and now includes 85 partnerships with 93 nations around the globe. It is a key U.S. security cooperation tool, facilitating all aspects of international civil-military affairs and encouraging people-to-people ties at the state level.
While the U.S. Space Force has been established, no reserve component exists for this new Service.
More than 1,000 ANG Citizen-Airmen based in 7 states, and one territory, who perform or support space missions every day, remain unaligned with their natural Active Component mission partner, the USSF. Without the establishment of a Space National Guard, the USSF and SPACECOM is at risk of losing the valuable skills and support that these ANG Citizen-Airmen bring to the space fight.
Integrating ANG space units via the establishment of a Space National Guard will align efforts under one Service, reduce bureaucracy, enable common space warfighter culture, and can be accomplished through the transfer of existing ANG resources.
ANG space units defend our nation on behalf of combatant commanders across various mission areas: missile warning; space domain awareness; satellite command and control; military satellite communications; space electromagnetic warfare operations; space test and training; analysis of space intelligence.