Commentary: Space Force Reserve too important to be dictated by active duty – By Brent D. Ziarnick (Military Times) / April 20 2021
Recently the commander of the Space Force’s Space Operations Command visited members of the Air Force Reserve’s 310th Space Wing, the bulk of America’s 1,600 space reservists, to discuss the Space Force.
Many reservists were anxious to hear about the Space Force’s plan to fold them into the new service. Active-duty personnel they work with started wearing Space Force uniforms months ago, but reservists were still forced to wear the colors of the Air Force. Many reservists were excited to join the Space Force, but rumors that Space Force leaders favored a “single component” Space Force that absorbed the reservists but eliminated any reserve organization itself, spread quickly. Unfortunately but characteristically, the general provided reservists no new information regarding their place in the new service.
Even though reservists complete 26 percent of its total mission, the Space Force has held reservists at arm’s length since its inception. Starved of information by leadership, initial reservist excitement toward the Space Force has quickly given way to fear springing from uncertainty — mostly about the single component plan. How is a member that serves part-time supposed to compete for promotion and leadership opportunities against people in uniform — and visible to their commander — year round? Will reserve units such as squadrons still exist in a single component Space Force? If so, will reservists lead them? Has the Space Force considered any of these concerns at all?
