WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force is soliciting 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.
In a Feb. 13 news release, the Space Force said ideas should be posted by Feb. 24 on a portal that is accessible to Air Force CAC card holders. The CAC card is the standard identification for active duty service personnel. The portal is on the IdeaScale website at https://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 invite them to submit ideas.
“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,” the Space Force said in a statement.
Officials also are looking for ideas on Space Force ranks, names for operational units and what Space Force members should be called collectively. They are especially interested in thoughts from those currently assigned to the U.S. Space Force or those who expect to be members of the Space Force in the future.
“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. “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.”
The Space Force provided some 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.
After the submission deadline closes, a panel of Space Force officials will review inputs. A final decision on the new Space Force member moniker will be made by senior Space Force leaders and will be announced publicly at a future date.
