Nearly every governor in the United States, along with leaders from five U.S. territories, have voiced their unequivocal opposition to the Pentagon’s proposal to transfer Air National Guard units into the active-duty Space Force.
In a letter published Monday and addressed to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, nearly every governor in the U.S. and leaders of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands decried the potential move proposed by the Air Force.
The letter, endorsed by the National Governors Association, emphatically states that governors must “maintain full authority as commanders in chief of these assets to effectively protect operational readiness and America’s communities.” Any legislation that might “sidestep, eliminate or otherwise reduce governors’ authority within their states and territories undermines longstanding partnerships, precedence, military readiness and operational efficacy.” This sentiment is shared across a remarkable swath of the country’s leadership, with only the governors of Florida and Texas abstaining from the protest.
Military.com reported earlier this month that Air Force officials had submitted a draft legislative proposal to Congress titled “Transfer to the Space Force of covered space functions of the Air National Guard of the United States.” The proposal would change the status of such operations “from a unit of the Air National Guard of the United States to a unit of the United States Space Force; deactivate the unit; or assign the unit a new federal mission.”
The proposal seeks to waive Section 104 of Title 32 and Section 18238 of Title 10 of the U.S. Code, which state, respectively, that “no change in the branch, organization or allotment of a unit located entirely within a state may be made without the approval of its governor” and that National Guard units may “not be relocated or withdrawn under this chapter without the consent of the governor of the state.”
During a hearing on the National Guard, California Rep. Ken Calvert, chairman of the House Appropriations defense subcommittee, raised concerns that the transfer of Guard units to an active-duty military branch could set a harmful precedent. Meanwhile, Rep. Betty McCollum, the defense subcommittee’s top Democrat, declared the proposal as “dead on arrival,” echoing the concerns of the vast majority of governors.
Despite assurances from Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall that the concerns about governors’ authorities are overblown, the opposition continues to mount. The National Guard Association’s president, Retired Maj. Gen. Frank McGinn, has pledged not to back down from what he describes as an uphill struggle against a fully backed federal chain of command. However, Gen. Daniel Hokanson, Chief of the National Guard Bureau, noted that up to 70 percent of affected Guardsmen would prefer to remain within the National Guard.
Relevant articles:
– Proposed Transfer of Guard Units to Space Force Sparks Opposition from 48 Governors, 5 US Territories, Military, 05/02/2024
– Governors Oppose Pentagon Proposal to Transfer National Guard Members to Space Force, ClearanceJobs, 05/01/2024
– ‘Dead on arrival’: Key House appropriators oppose transfer of Guard units to Space Force, Breaking Defense, 04/30/2024
– Governors oppose National Guard move to Space Force • Pennsylvania Capital, Pennsylvania Capital-Star, 04/29/2024