• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • NEWS:
  • SatNews
  • SatMagazine
  • MilSatMagazine
  • SmallSat News
  • |     EVENTS:
  • SmallSat Symposium
  • Satellite Innovation

SatNews

  • HOME
  • Magazines
  • Events
  • Perspectives
  • Industry Calendar
    • IN PERSON
    • VIRTUAL
  • Subscribe

U.S. Space Force Unveils The Organization’s First Recruitment Ad

May 7, 2020

U.S. Air Force Secretary Barbara M. Barrett and Chief of Space Operations, Gen. John Raymond, unveiled the U.S. Space Force’s first recruiting video Wednesday, suggesting that the 30-second ad is a centerpiece of the nascent service’s continued evolution as the newest independent branch of the U.S. military.

The recruiting ad was only one of many topics Barrett and Raymond addressed during a 40-minute webinar sponsored by the Space Foundation, an organization that advocates for space and is comprised of businesses and organizations with connections to all facets of space operations, policy and commerce.

In her brief opening remarks, Barrett noted the importance of explaining the Space Force, what it does and why creating the first new branch of the military since 1947 is necessary.

The most tangible example, she said, is the Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office X-37B, in partnership with the U.S. Space Force which will launch again for the sixth time on May 16.

“This reusable space plane has completed five missions with 2,865 days of total time on orbit,” she said. “And, the next time the X-37B takes off it will deploy FalconSat-8, a small satellite developed at the U.S. Air Force Academy — where the first 86 cadets recently commissioned into the Space Force.   FalconSat-8 will carry five experimental payloads and provide cadets a unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience with space operations.”

Adding another detail, Barrett said the mission will carry another experiment fashioned by the Naval Research Laboratory that will attempt to transform solar power into radio frequency microwave energy and then transmit the energy to Earth.

“It is a critical time for space. But it’s also an incredibly exciting time. There are advances being made in all sectors of the space domain whether it is national security space, commercial space, civil space with the moon to mars programs and international space,” Raymond said.

Later, in response to a question from the audience, Raymond closed the circle.

“The average American needs to understand just how reliant their life is on space. Space fuels the American way of life. Space also fuels our American way of war,” he said. Space plays a critical role in everyday communications, navigation, commerce and science. Without free access to space, cell phone calls, electronic banking and GPS service would be disrupted.

Raymond and Barrett both highlighted the changing nature of space as a reason for creating a separate branch of the military. Where once space was a tranquil domain of the United States and Russia, today it is far more crowded, congested and competitive.

“We do not want to get into conflict that begins or extends into space,” Raymond said. “We want to deter that. But the way you do that is from a position of strength. What gives us a position of strength is our partnerships. We also need to have systems that are defensible. And we have to continue to train our operators to have the warfighting skills necessary to accomplish this mission.”

The Space Force, which came into existence December 20, 2019, has a $15.4 billion budget and is in the process of building its force. There are currently 88 commissioned space professionals but by the end of the year that number is expected to grow substantially. In all, the service’s total force is expected to be about 16,000.

As he has done in the past, Raymond said the force is designed to be small and agile and trailblazing. In the virtual town hall he noted that the Space Force will use acquisition systems “that are custom built, purpose built for space. Speed of acquisition is important if we are to stay ahead of the growing challenges we see in space.

Asked how the Space Force is adjusting to the coronavirus pandemic, Raymond said the force, like the rest of the military, “is taking very active measures to protect our crew force, our personnel.” Barrett noted that the Space Force is also contributing to the response by ensuring continued and accurate GPS service and in more distinct ways such as reconfiguring satellites to ensure the U.S. Navy’s hospital ship, the USNS Mercy, had sufficient bandwidth during its deployment to Los Angeles.

Story by Charles Pope, Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs

Filed Under: News

Primary Sidebar

Most Read Stories

  • AST Space Mobile To Become A Publicly Traded Company
  • CNES Selects ANYWAVES For Reflectarray Antenna For Smallsats Demo
  • UPDATE 3: A Successful 'Another One Leaves The Crust' Launch Completed By Rocket Lab
  • SpaceX Launches The NROL-108 Mission For The NRO From Kennedy Space Center
  • NASA's Landsat-9 USSF Developed ESPA EFS Passes Design Status Review 3

About Satnews

  • Contacts
  • History

Archives

  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020

Secondary Sidebar

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.OkPrivacy policy
We Love Our Advertisers.
And you will too!

Please disable your adblock browser plugin to continue...

We promise to keep it unobtrusive.
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Invalid email address
Thanks for subscribing! Please check your email for further instructions.
x
Sign up Now (For Free)
Access daily or weekly satellite news updates covering all aspects of the commercial and military satellite industry.
Invalid email address
Notify Me Regarding ( At least one ):
We value your privacy and will not sell or share your email or other information with any other company. You may also unsubscribe at anytime.

Click Here to see our full privacy policy.
Thanks for subscribing!