[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 78 (Tuesday, May 10, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Page S2421]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          STATEMENTS ON INTRODUCED BILLS AND JOINT RESOLUTIONS

      By Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Hickenlooper, Ms. 
        Murkowski, Mr. Bennet, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Manchin, Mr. 
        Portman, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Padilla, Mr. Braun, and Mr. 
        Cornyn):
  S. 4179. A bill to establish the Space National Guard; to the 
Committee on Armed Services.
  Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise to speak in support of the 
Space National Guard Establishment Act of 2021, which Senator Rubio and 
I introduced today. I thank Senator Rubio along with our 10 bipartisan 
cosponsors for joining me on this important bill.
  When the Space Force was established in 2019, Active-Duty space units 
were moved out of the Air Force and into the new Space Force, but 
National Guard space units were left behind in the Air National Guard 
under the Air Force.
  Active-Duty and Guard units performing space missions are supposed to 
work together seamlessly, but they cannot do so if we leave them in 
separate services. Today, we have 16 Air National Guard units with 
1,000 members performing space missions in a different service than 
their Active-Duty counterparts.
  This misalignment creates a number of problems. It inhibits the 
efficient and consistent provision of funding, equipment, talent, 
education, and training to our space units.
  This disconnect makes mobilization more complicated and separates 
them with different service processes and cultures. This is not how to 
construct a cohesive force, and if Congress is going to create a Space 
Force, then Congress should complete the job.
  The current misalignment is unsustainable. If it is not repaired, 
then National Guard units performing the space mission will wither on 
the vine. Those Air National Guard units will eventually be forced to 
give up the space mission and undertake a costly transition to another 
mission, or those units will be dissolved.
  This bill would shift our National Guard units performing space 
missions from the Air National Guard, which is part of the Air Force, 
to a Space National Guard, which would fall under the Space Force. This 
bill does not authorize new construction, bases, or personnel. It is a 
realignment, not an expansion. Future growth will be determined by 
mission needs as determined by the Pentagon, the administration, and 
Congress.
  This bill, which already has a companion in the House, is the best 
way to preserve the talent and resources found in the National Guard's 
space enterprise. We have invested a great deal in the training and 
experience held by the Guard's space professionals. Many of them hold 
civilian jobs with leading-edge companies in relevant industries, and 
they put their experience to work for the Nation and their States every 
time they put on their uniform. We must not leave a bureaucratic wall 
between the Space Force and the National Guard that will degrade our 
space capabilities.
  Just as important, the loss of these units would rob our Governors of 
critical National Guard personnel and resources they need to respond to 
disasters at home.
  In sum, this bill will fix a major disconnect in our Nation's space 
enterprise by putting our National Guard space units in the same 
service as their Active-Duty counterparts. This is important for our 
Nation and for those that rely on the National Guard in our States.
  I hope my colleagues will join me in support of this bill.

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