Air Guard troops doing space missions face identity crisis

By LOLITA C. BALDOR
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — About 1,000 Air National Guard troops who are assigned to space missions are mired in an identity crisis. According to commanders, the troops’ units are torn between the Air Force, where they’ve historically been assigned, and the military’s shiny new Space Force, where they now work. Commanders say the units have become orphans as state and federal leaders wrangle over whether to create a Space National Guard. For federal authorities, it’s mainly about the money. They say a Space Guard will create unneeded bureaucracy and cost up to $500 million a year. State Guard leaders argue it will cost a fraction of that. And commanders say the split is already creating budgeting gaps, training delays, and recruiting problems.