Space Force

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- As Senior Master Sgt. Anthony Chua placed his personal U.S. Space Force patch on his son's uniform, it was a moment of pride and humility for them both. Chua, a seasoned Airman and now Guardian, was witnessing his son follow in his footsteps. It was a moment of deep significance as the torch of service and sacrifice was passed down from one generation to the next. This touching scene played out on April 25 as the father and son duo gathered on stage for the Guardian Recognition and Patching Ceremony at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, prior to Spc. 3 Anthony “AJ” Chua's graduation from U.S. Space Force basic military training. The moment itself was symbolic and historic in its own right. It represented a distinct chapter in the U.S. Space Force’s...

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Airmen and Guardians can now receive decorations or promotions through recruiting referrals under the new Airman and Guardian Referral Program (AGRP). Two new programs, Stellar Talent Acquisition Recruiting Referral, or STARR, and Stripes for Referrals aim to incentivize all Airmen and Guardians to inspire the next generation to serve in the Air Force and Space Force. STARR authorizes enlisted service members up to senior master sergeant and officers up to lieutenant colonel to receive up to two Air and Space Achievement Medals for referring three enlisted accessions applicants who depart for basic military training. Additionally, any enlisted member, or officer up to colonel, may receive the Air and Space Commendation Medal for referring five enlisted acc...

Chief Master Sgt. John F. Bentivegna was selected May 5 to become the next Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force.Bentivegna is currently serving as the Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chief Operations Officer and the Enlisted Space Systems Operations Career Field Manager at Headquarters Space Force, Washington D.C.In making his selection, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said, “I needed someone that would bring a perspective on our future that was articulated differently from mine.”“Someone who could (and would) challenge my assumptions and ensure that important issues were evaluated from multiple angles and would catch things I missed,” Saltzman continued. “All the candidates had tremendous experience, skills, and expertise and it made it a close run.”This was an open se...

Emphasizing that space capabilities are “important to our strategy of integrated deterrence” and the reason U.S. Space Force must drive “transformational” change, Department of the Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall offered a blunt assessment April 19 of the challenges today in space but also optimism that the United States would maintain its dominance in that domain.In a keynote address to the 2023 Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colorado, he noted the critical role space plays today in every aspect of national security and that maintaining a functional, assured presence is essential especially given China’s activity in space.Unlike the recent past when the United States had virtually free reign in space, today the domain is crowded and dangerous, home to thousands of satellites ope...

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- The Defense Department continues to actively address the incident involving the unauthorized disclosure of classified documents, said Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh at a news conference today.Massachusetts Air National Guard Airman 1st Class Jack Teixeira, 21, was arrested April 13, by the FBI at his family's residence in Dighton, Massachusetts, in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.The department is taking this breach seriously, Singh said. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and senior Pentagon officials "continue to convene daily meetings to examine the scope and scale of this disclosure, as well as ensure that appropriate mitiga...