Governor Polis and Lawmakers in Colorado Oppose Space Force Proposal

Democratic Governor Jared Polis and the majority of Colorado’s U.S. congressional delegation are opposing a proposal from the Biden administration that could potentially transfer hundreds of the state’s Air National Guard members to the U.S. Space Force.

The Air Force’s Legislative Proposal 480, which is part of the fiscal 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, would give authority over relevant National Guard units from governors to the U.S. Space Force, a responsibility that governors have held for over a century.

The U.S. Space Command is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

The Colorado Air National Guard is stationed at Buckley Space Force Base in Aurora, Colorado, with personnel spread throughout the state.

Approximately 393 members of the state’s Air National Guard’s 233rd Space Group would be affected by the proposal.

Earlier this month, a bipartisan group of 85 lawmakers signed a letter urging the leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees to oppose the plan. The letter was led by Rep. Jason Crow, R-Colo.

“To be clear: when individuals enlist in the National Guard, they are serving their country and their community,” the letter emphasized, The Denver Post reported. “Congress should not abandon this model.”

Polis, along with other governors, wrote a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin opposing the legislation “in the strongest possible terms.”

“As [the Colorado Air National Guard’s] commander-in-chief, I cannot stand by as the servicemembers I lead are faced with the decision to either leave military service or serve in a manner they did not originally agree to,” Polis wrote, as reported by the Post.

“We know that a significant majority of Air National Guard space operators will not transfer to the U.S. Space Force, putting both their military career and national security at risk.”

Legislative Proposal 480 is slated to be reviewed by the House Armed Services Committee this week. However, months of debate and amendments in both chambers of Congress are expected before it becomes law.

None of Colorado’s lawmakers who signed the letter are members of the House or Senate armed services committees. Retiring Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., from Colorado Springs, has a committee seat but did not sign the letter.