Colorado’s Congressional delegation wants some answers about what the secretary of the Air Force is going to do about Colorado Air National Guard members who have lost their assignments.
The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 included a controversial provision: the transfer of Air National Guard space mission jobs to U.S. Space Force, which was done without obtaining gubernatorial approval.
The letter, from the entire Colorado congressional delegation and led by Democratic Rep. Jason Crow and GOP Rep. Gabe Evans, points out that the move “has had a profound and immediate impact on our state’s military footprint.”
The delegation letter to Air Force Secretary Troy Meink and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, wants to know by June 19 what new missions are being set up for Colorado’s Air National Guard members in order to retain and give certainty to “the remaining highly trained service members.”
“This divestment affected a total of 393 military billets within the 233rd Space Group – COANG based at the Greeley Air National Guard Station, impacting the livelihoods and careers of 178 full-time and 215 part-time Airmen,” the letter from the entire delegation notes. “Future mission uncertainty has led to retention challenges of skilled personnel across a wide variety of backgrounds, such as Space Operators, Security Forces, Communication Specialists, and Logistics personnel.”
The Fiscal Year 2025 NDAA impacted about 600 people in space-focused units in Colorado, Alaska, California, Florida, Hawaii, New York and Ohio.
According to the letter, 19 airmen transferred to the Space Force, while 14 went to other units or left service. The rest are still waiting to hear what will happen to them with their billets – job assignments – now elsewhere.
A Colorado Air Guard survey last year found that only 8% of space professionals would transfer and that almost 80% would not, according to the National Guard Association of the United States.
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