The U.S. Military now has its sixth and youngest branch, the U.S. Space Force (which should not be confused with the U.S. Space Command).  As its name indicates, the new branch is made for space warfare though it’s not yet equipped with star fighters and space destroyers. For the meantime it carries the current grade and rank of the Air Force since the it traces its origins to the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) which was then redesignated as the Space Force by the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

Now, being a distinct branch of the military, the U.S. Space Force wants to give new names and ranks to its members. The Army has its “soldiers”, the Navy has “sailors”, the Air Force has “Airmen, and the Marines have errr…  “Marines”. With the way the private sector has been tapping the wisdom of the crowds, the Space Force decided to go that route but mainly will be relying on U.S. military space professionals to submit their suggestions.

When the logo of the Space Force was first released, it became a butt of jokes as netizens have been pointing out the uncanny resemblance to the Star Trek insignia which is also known as the Starfleet insignia. It would have been a simple idea that the Space Force follow Starfleet designations and ranks, which of course is similar to the Navy but since it first originated as an Air Force unit, it better find its own ranks and names or get caught in inter-service rivalry while in its infancy.

If you have access to the Air Force Portal, then you can submit your ideas. They also plan on reaching out to members from other branches who are involved in space missions and projects to pick their brains too.

Here is the full press release from the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs:

Wanted: Ideas on Space Force Members’ Name, Ranks

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) — The U.S. Space Force is looking for feedback from U.S. military space professionals on what Space Force members should be called – similar to how the Air Force refers to its members as ‘Airmen’ or the Army refers to its members as ‘Soldiers’.

Given the significance a name has to the identity and culture of an organization, the Space Force is taking a deliberate approach to ensure Space Force member titles and ranks appropriately convey the nature of the newest Armed Forces branch and the domain in which it operates.

Toward that end, Space Force officials are soliciting ideas related to Space Force ranks, names for operational units and what Space Force members should be called collectively. They are especially interested in soliciting ideas from those currently assigned to the U.S. Space Force or those who expect to be members of the Space Force in the future.

Air Force Common Access Card holders with access to Air Force Portal should submit their ideas online by Feb. 24 through the IdeaScale website at usaf.ideascalegov.com/a/ideas/recent/campaigns/122. Space Force officials will also be reaching out to the Army, Navy and Marine Corps space communities to offer military space professionals in other services the opportunity to submit ideas.

“As we continue to forge the Space Force into a lean, agile and forward-looking 21st century warfighting branch, we want to provide space professionals the opportunity to influence what the members of our new service will be called,” said Lt. Gen. DT Thompson, U.S. Space Force vice commander. “The decisions we make today will shape the Space Force for decades to come, so we want to ensure those who will serve in the Space Force have a say when it comes to important organizational and cultural identity considerations.”

Officials emphasized several guidelines respondents must consider when submitting ideas.

For example, proposals must be gender-neutral, distinctive and should emphasize a future-oriented military force. In addition, submissions cannot violate copyrights, infringe on trademarks or other intellectual property rights, or be proprietary. Any submission falling into those categories will not be considered. Submissions must also be in good taste.

Once the submission deadline closes, a panel of Space Force officials will review inputs along with other feedback received from various sources to help inform a final decision on the new Space Force member moniker. That decision, which will be made by senior Space Force leaders, will be announced publicly at a future date to be determined.

 

Top photo: Utility uniform nametape of the U.S. Space Force (Source: United States Space Force On Twitter)