Like a newly-formed high school punk band, Space Force is figuring out its act. What should its uniforms look like? What should its rank structure be? When errant reporters refer to Space Force personnel as soldiers, how should angry space veterans correct them?
These are the important questions that need to be answered, and many airmen were delighted on Wednesday to see a message on the popular Facebook group Air Force amn/nco/snco asking for input.
An individual assigned to the Office of the Chief of Space Operations familiar with the planning process of the Space Force confirmed that the message was written by Chief Master Sgt. Amber Mitchell, a senior enlisted leader assigned to the new service.
While it may appear that the Space Force is turning to Facebook to do its heavy lifting, the source cautioned that the message was intended only as an “informal” channel for soliciting unfiltered ideas for the new service. There will be more formal crowdsourcing targeted towards the military space community soon, he said.
Still, that didn’t stop airmen from sharing hundreds of great ideas anyway. Task & Purpose grouped several of them together by topic and listed them below. The answers will soon become a personal matter for many airmen, 6,000 of whom will transfer to Space Force by the end of the year. Will this be their identity? We can only hope.
I. The Space Force Song
- Air Force amn/nco/snco page: EDM sound track with space related lyrics
- Nick Burkhardt: Space Jam.
- Matt Reynold: Major Tom
- Stephen Smilko: Can I suggest that we base the Space Force song and uniforms off of the old Star Blazers cartoon?
- Jason Chrest: I’d recommend reaching out to John Williams for the song lyrics and music… yes he did star wars, but it’s epic
II. General name for Space Force personnel:
- Air Force amn/nco/snco page: Spacemen or Galactic Guardians
- Bob Forrest: USSF members should be referred to as “Star Trekker”, or “Trekker” for brevity.
- Enzo Vito: “Orbiter”. It fits for enlisted ranks too; “Senior Orbiter”, “Technical Orbiter”, “Orbiter 1st Class”
- Marietta Landon: Collective group = Juggernauts
- Jonah Friese: Sentinel I think is what we should be called (sentinels are a soldier or guard who stands and keeps watch like what we do with our satellites).
- Paul Kautz: Spacey McSpaceface, no doubt about it
- Kenneth Damis: How about Space Rangers
- Geoffry Linn: Gender non specific non binary non identifying space things of the sky.
- Spencer Howard: Ricos Roughnecks for all ranks. We are now starship troopers.
- Jeff Skaggs: “Space People”
- Brian Kelly: Space Cowboys or nothing
- Roland Bisio: Are we seriously going to pass on the opportunity to call them Space Marines?!!!
III. The Space Force Uniform
- Air Force amn/nco/snco page: Business casual or onesies like flight suits but not. No need for traditional uniforms because most space vases and operations are indoors and out of harm’s way.
- Enzo Vito: Enlisted insignia should make use of the Delta (or chevron) that is featured on the Space Force seal. Stacked deltas or chevrons similar to stripes.
- Eric Vaulton: I want to see stars and moons unit patches. The dress blues should be black with white and blue trim looking like the Marine Corps dress blues but with a variant maybe just deep purple trim … I mostly want awesome dress uniforms that basically look like Marines but better if possible!!!
- Nathan Tripp: Uniforms could be all black with white lettering for rank and nametapes
- Kyle Mangold: Why not do blue, orange, and white flight suits as sort of a homage to NASA. Orange for enlisted, blue for senior enlisted and blue for officers.
- RK Austin: Black flight suits easy choice
IV. The Space Force Creed
- Air Force amn/nco/snco page: Freedom from earth to infinity
- Avery Moore: Space Rangers — To Infinity and Beyond!!!!!!!
V. The Space Force Ranks
– Air Force amn/nco/snco page:
- E-1 Cadet CAD
- E-2 Satellite SAT
- E-3 Satellite Ranger SAT-R
- E-4 Satellite Specialist SAT-S
- E-5 Space Sergeant SpSgt
- E-6 Space Expert SpE
- E-7 Space Supervisor SpS
- E-8 Assistant Space Chief ASP
- E-9 Space Chief (No Abreviation)
- O1 Officer On Deck OOD
- O2 Officer 1st Class O1C
- O3 Lieutenant Lt
- O4 Captain Cpt
- O5 Space Commander SCC
- O6 Colonel Col
- O7-10 Same as AF for generals
– Bazh Bazh
- Cadet
- Space cadet
- Space boy
- Senior space boy
- Space man
- Senior space man
- Astronaut
- Space cowboy
- Rocketman
– Austin Hoyle:
- Space people
- aliens
- outer space agents
- decepticons
- astronauts
- space cadets
- moon floaters
- buzz light year
- explorers
- space defenders
- or I can just keep naming off but there’s a few ideas
– Curtis Brown:
- Spaceman basic
- spaceman 1st class
- Chief master sergeant of the galaxy.
– Andrew Morrow:
- Grunts
- Elites
- Spartans
- and a Master Chief. Anything else should be illegal
– Zach Peterson:
- All i gotta say is the highest ranking individual better act and look like buzz lightyear or i reject.
– Grady Holmes-DeSaussure:
- Astronaut
- astronaut first class
- But you can’t miss our on Mastronaut
- Senior Mastronaut
- and Chief Mastronaut
– Samuel Daniels:
- Stormtrooper ranks
– Curtis Stout:
- If it’s not stargeant, for E5+ I will shit on someone’s desk.
– Justin Dix:
- E-9 will be jedi ofc