Nearly every U.S. governor, including those in Democratic states, has opposed the Biden administration's move to incorporate Air National Guard service members into the Space Force.
In a letter to the Department of Defense on Monday, 53 governors in states and U.S. territories signed a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin voicing their "strong opposition" to the plan.
The letter, signed by several allies of President Joe Biden, argues that the plan to shift space units from the Air National Guard to the Space Force "undermines over 100 years of precedent" as well as national security and military readiness.
The letter arrived after the Defense Department sent a legislative proposal to Congress in March to bypass existing laws requiring governors' consent to make changes to the National Guard and move 14 units to the Space Force.
The letter states, "Governors must maintain full authority as Commanders in Chief of these assets to effectively protect operational readiness and America's communities."
"Legislation that sidesteps, eliminates or otherwise reduces Governors' authority within their states and territories undermines long-standing partnerships, precedence, military readiness and operational efficacy.
"This action also negatively affects the important relationships between Governors and DOD at a time when we need to have full trust and confidence between the two to meet the growing threats posed by the era of strategic competition as well as natural disasters."
The letter, signed by Democrats including California Governor Gavin Newsom, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Colorado Governor Jared Polis, adds that such a move regarding moving the National Guard will "violate the trust of the brave women and men who have volunteered to serve our states and our nation."
The National Guard Association of the United States (NGAUS) has previously criticized the proposals to try and move units from the Air National Guard into the Space Force and called on the creation of a separate Space National Guard instead.
Reacting to the letter, a spokesperson from the White House said the Biden administration has "been clear in its strong opposition" to the creation of a Space National Guard for the past three years.
"The Department of Defense has evaluated several options, and the Administration supports DoD's recommendation of a one-time transfer of a small number of Guard missions into the United States Space Force," the spokesperson added.
The Department of Defense declined to comment when contacted by Newsweek.
The only two U.S. governors who did not sign the letter were Florida's Ron DeSantis and Texas' Greg Abbott, both Republicans.
The NGAUS said that the 14 units that could be moved to the Space Force, which consist of 1,000 Guardsmen across Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, New York and Ohio, provide 30 percent of the U.S. military's space operations squadrons and 60 percent of its electromagnetic warfare capability.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall previously suggested earlier this month that any disruption regarding the proposals is "negligible."
"We've had much, much more political attention over this issue than it deserves, in my mind," Kendall told reporters at Space Symposium, Defense One reported.
"We're talking about a few hundred people. The numbers for any state are less than, I think, 2 percent at most of their Guard people, and they're only a handful of states that are affected."
Kendall also rejected the idea that separate states should have their own military space forces.
"The governors may have a different view, but I don't see a reason why a state needs a Space Force militia," Kendall said.
05/01/2024, 3:30 a.m ET: This article has been updated with comment form a White House spokesperson.
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Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
