by Mary Rose Corkery
Vice President Mike Pence announced on Friday that Space Force troops will be named “Guardians,” according to a White House transcript of the announcement.
Pence made the announcement during a White House ceremony that commemorated the military branch’s first birthday, according to the transcript. President Donald Trump established Space Force in a $1.4 trillion national security bill in December 2019.
“It is my honor, on behalf of the President of the United States, to announce that, henceforth, the men and women of the United States Space Force will be known as ‘Guardians,” Pence said. “Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines, and Guardians will be defending our nation for generations to come.”
The Space Force revealed the name after hundreds of people sent ideas for a year “and research involving space professionals and members of the general public” happened for a year, the U.S. Space Force tweeted.
“The opportunity to name a force is a momentous responsibility. Guardians is a name with a long history in space operations, tracing back to the original command motto of Air Force Space Command in 1983, ‘Guardians of the High Frontier,” the military branch tweeted.
“The name Guardians connects our proud heritage and culture to the important mission we execute 24/7, protecting the people and interest of the U.S. and its allies,” the branch tweeted.
Guardians. #SemperSupra!
— United States Space Force (@SpaceForceDoD) December 18, 2020
The president invented Space Force’s name, The Hill reported. Both House Republicans and Democrats weighed the idea for a new military branch regarding space three years ago.
The U.S. Space Force didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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Mary Rose Corkery is a reporter for the Daily Caller News Foundation.
