Lamborn: โMerit on both sidesโ of debate over Space National Guard
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Gen. John Raymond support creating a hybrid active-reserve component that provides full-time and part-time service options
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), a key congressional proponent of establishing a Space National Guard, said he would consider an alternative proposal endorsed by Space Force leaders and by the Biden administration.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Space Force chief of space operations Gen. John โJayโ Raymond support creating a hybrid active-reserve component that provides full-time and part-time service options.
โI think thereโs merit to what General Raymond and others are advocating in the administration with a different approach,โ
ย Lamborn said Sept. 28 at a Defense One online event.
Lamborn last year partnered with Rep. Jason Crow (D-Colo.) to introduce legislation to establish a Space National Guardย
as a reserve component of the Space Force. Lamborn and Crow are members of the House Armed Services Committeeย
and their bill was adopted in the House version of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.
Lambornโs comments on Wednesday suggest there is room for compromise, given that the Biden administration strongly opposesย standing up a Space Guard and the Senate version of the NDAA does not include any language on it although some senatorsย have expressed support for a Space Guard.
The question of whether the Space Force should have its own National Guard component became a politically charged topicย ever since the Space Force was established in December 2019.
โThis is a big debate that is still playing out,โ Lamborn said. โBut I think thereโs merit on both sides of that question, frankly.โ
Raymond has argued that the Space Force is too small and too specialized to have a dedicated reserve force, and instead should have a single component with full-time and part-time guardians. He said allowing some service members to work part-time helpsย recruit and retain people with advanced technical skills who are also in high demand in the private sector.ย
Under the one-component concept, guardians could transition more easily between traditional active-duty and reserve component positions.
A key concern raised by members of Congress is the future of about 1,500 personnel currently in the Air National Guard who supportย space operations, many of whom are based in Colorado. Some could choose to join the Space Force but those who donโt mightย be reassigned to support Air Force units.
Lamborn said he and Crow have worked on this issue for years and itโs time to โget it resolved.โ He acknowledged that a Spaceย National Guard โalong the lines of what weโve proposed is more going with the status quo, more of what weโre used to.โ
ย Meanwhile, what Kendall and Raymond have putย forth is a new way of doing business.
โDifferent approaches are sometimes very justified,โ said Lamborn. The Space Force needs โhighly qualified experts who haveย expertise in niche areasโ and this alternative approach might be worth considering.
Lamborn insisted that he wants to settle the issue sooner rather than later so everyone can move forward.
ย โI think we can agree thereโs merit on both sides. But letโs go ahead and get moving here.โ
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