Runners begin the U.S. Space Force’s T-Minus 10-Miler marathon at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., Dec. 14, 2024. This annual 10-mile endurance race challenges participants to reach the “edge of outer space” together, blending fitness with space history and camaraderie. (Samuel Becker/U.S. Space Force)

December 20th marks five years since the U.S. Space Force became the first new branch of the U.S. military in just over seven decades, when President Donald Trump in 2019 signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020.

With it, Air Force Space Command dissolved and saw its units fall under the operational control of USSF. The USSF remains part of the Department of the Air Force.

As its older sibling branches count centuries of service — the U.S. Army and Navy are older than the country itself — the Space Force’s few birthdays thus far “hold special significance,” according to Assistant Deputy Director for Space Sarah Fiocco, a spokesperson.

“While established branches honor centuries of tradition, the Space Force uses these anniversaries to celebrate its unique mission and emerging identity,” Fiocco said in an emailed statement, adding that this holds particularly true for milestone birthdays such as this one.

Maj. Jeremy Crossman, U.S. Space Force Guardian, cuts the birthday cake as the youngest service representative in attendance during the Space Force's 5th birthday celebration at Patch Barracks, Stuttgart, Germany, Dec. 17, 2024. (Michael Mason/U.S. Air Force)

Asked how the force is developing its identity, Fiocco said that while the Space Force’s senior leaders “set the tone for professionalism and forward-thinking,” a culture is also emerging organically from guardians.

“Bottom-up traditions are already forming, such as collaborative storytelling about mission success and the unique camaraderie found in small, agile teams. Additionally, time-honored traditions across the military, such as cake cuttings, and other smaller initiatives, like the design of patches, have emerged across the Space Force,” said Fiocco.

Leading up to the birthday were two events that may be nascent traditions: the Spacepower conference and the T-Minus 10-Miler.

At the second annual Spacepower conference, held in Orlando, Fla., ten days before the birthday, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman hailed the force’s growth since he joined, when it had less than 100 civilian and military personnel.

“We had a shoestring budget and a mountain of work to do. Today, the military and civilian personnel serving the Space Force total nearly 15,000. Average that out, and you’re talking about almost tripling our size every year for five years — an unheard of and monumental administrative feat in any government organization,” said Saltzman, according to a transcript.

Just a few days after the conference, on Dec. 14 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, the Space Force held its third annual T-Minus 10-Miler. Participants not only ran 10 miles, but did so while passing sites important to aerospace history.

U.S. Air Force Capt. Margaux Nagano, Space Systems Command assistant staff judge, crosses the finish line during the U.S. Space Force’s T-Minus 10-Miler marathon at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., Dec. 14, 2024. Nagano took first place among female competitors during the annual 10-mile endurance race. (DeAnna Murano/U.S. Space Force)

Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, left, speaks with retired Lt. Gen. Bill Liquori during the Space Force Association’s 2024 Spacepower Conference in Orlando, Fla., Dec. 10, 2024. (Eric Dietrich/U.S. Air Force)

Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna, left, and Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, right, pose with the winners of the Guardian Arena during the Space Force Association’s 2024 Spacepower Conference in Orlando, Fla., Dec. 10, 2024. (Eric Dietrich/U.S. Air Force)

It is unclear how many cake-cuttings or birthday balls have been held, given the force’s relatively small headcount, although Fiocco said celebrations are increasingly common across the force. The Army & Air Force Exchange Service is also holding a sweepstakes in honor of the birthday, from Dec. 20 to Jan. 17, 2025.

However the guardians celebrate, they are keeping busy too. In early December the service activated its sixth service component, U.S. Space Forces — Japan at Yokota Air Base, and it is working to stand up Space Futures Command in 2025.

The official U.S. Space Forces Japan flag is unveiled publicly for the first time during the activation and assumption of command ceremony at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 4, 2024. (Cayla Hunt/U.S. Air Force)

An official graphic commemorating the U.S. Space Force’s fifth birthday, which is Dec. 20, 2024. Semper Supra is the U.S. Space Force's motto, which is Latin for "Always Above." (Jim Masie/U.S. Space Force)