Soldiers, sailors, aviators, Marines, and now, guardians. Vice President Mike Pence announced Friday that members of the Space force, the sixth and newest branch of the U.S. military, will be called “guardians.”
“We have just returned from the Oval Office and it is therefore an honor for me, on behalf of the President of the United States, to announce that from now on the men and women of the United States Space Force will be known. as guardians, “Pence said during a speech at the White House to commemorate the anniversary of the Space force.
Guardians “will ensure for generations that America remains dominant in space as we are on land and sea and air,” he added.
According to the Space Force, the name was chosen after a one-year process that involved hundreds of suggestions, both from space professionals and the general public.
“The opportunity to appoint a force is a transcendental responsibility,” the military branch said in a statement. “Guardians is a name with a long history in space operations, dating back to the Air Force Space Command’s original command motto in 1983, ‘Guardians of the High Frontier.'”
“The name Guardians connects our proud heritage and culture with the important mission we carry out 24 hours a day, the protection of the people and the interest of the US and its allies,” he added.
Staff Sergeant. James Richardson Jr.
The name established immediate connections to Marvel’s iconic comic book series. “Guardians of the galaxy“Many jokingly asked if the beloved Groot character could be the new pet, while others asked if raccoons could enlist, a reference to the Rocket Raccoon character.
James Gunn, the film director, he tweeted“Can we sue this bastard?”
When the Space Force was created on December 20, 2019, it became the first new military branch in more than 70 years, when the United States Air Force was created in 1947. It has a projected force of 16,000 troops. and a $ 20.4 billion 2021 budget.
“Perhaps your purpose on this planet is not on this planet,” he said Space force he said in his first official recruitment video earlier this year.
Its logo, another apparent reference to pop culture, features a symbol that closely resembles the Star Trek Starfleet logo, and its motto, “Always Supra,” means “always on top.”