Members of the 114th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron of the Florida Air National Guard operate a satellite at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla., in 2023. (Jacob Hancock/U.S. Air National Guard)
WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of 125 lawmakers is urging the leaders of the Senate and House Armed Services committees to maintain the authority of governors over their state’s National Guard forces as the Air Force proposes moving some of them into the Space Force.
The lawmakers, including 86 House members and 39 senators, want to permit the one-time transfer of certain Air National Guard units into the Space Force but preserve governor control of National Guard units as negotiators draft the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual defense policy bill.
The Air Force is asking to unilaterally fold hundreds of Air National Guard members who work in space-related career fields into the Space Force as an alternative to the creation of a Space National Guard.
The proposal to transfer members without gubernatorial approval has generated controversy on Capitol Hill for months.
“Should Congress strip governors of the ability to manage National Guard units within their states, it would risk fundamentally altering the Guard’s mission and identity, as well as set a concerning precedent whose impacts may be broader than anticipated,” the letter from lawmakers stated.
Sen. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., led the letter, which was sent Wednesday. Colorado is home to the most National Guard members of any state performing space missions. Alaska, California, Florida, Hawaii, New York and Ohio also host Air National Guard members focused on space missions.
Governors in all 55 states and territories have objected to the Air Force’s plans while Air National Guard units estimated up to 70% of their space-focused airmen would resist a transfer.
Lawmakers in the House watered down the proposal in response to the backlash, agreeing on an amendment to the defense policy bill that maintains the ability of governors to nix any transfers and makes transferring units optional.
The lawmaker letter to committee leaders asks that the final bill retain the amendment approved by the House.
“This straightforward and commonsense amendment preserves the statutory authority of governors to oversee National Guard forces,” they wrote. “For over a century, this authority has helped the National Guard fulfill the role of a flexible fighting force, able to respond swiftly to both domestic emergencies and national security needs.”
Bipartisan negotiations over a compromise defense policy bill are expected to continue through the end of the year. The House passed its version of the legislation in June. The Senate Armed Services Committee unveiled its draft of the bill in July.
Lawmakers said they support the Air Force’s efforts to prepare for future threats but believed the desired end can be achieved “through dialogue with affected states, without undermining the foundational principles that have guided the National Guard.”
The National Guard Association of the United States, a lobbying organization, welcomed the congressional consensus. Retired Maj. Gen. Francis McGinn, the group’s president, said in a statement Thursday that lawmakers were pursuing a “commonsense solution.”
“Should the House-passed language be stripped from the final measure, it would alter the mission of the Guard and weaken our ability to be always ready and always there,” he said.
