Space Force

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (AFNS) --  Just one year after signing a ground-breaking trilateral agreement, the Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability partnership is completing facilities construction at the first of three sites that will host a global network of advanced ground-based sensors.  DARC is a partnership between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia, designed to create an all-weather, global system to track very small objects in geosynchronous orbit to protect critical U.S. and allied satellite services. The trilateral Memorandum of Understanding was signed Sept. 27, 2023, will last 22 years, and is a practical example of what the partners can achieve when working together to enhance mutual defense capabilities in the Indo-Pac...

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) --  The U.S. Space Force has selected the service-level recipients for the third-annual Polaris Awards.   Established in 2022, the Polaris Award is an annual recognition program built from the four Guardian Values of Character, Connection, Commitment and Courage. Each of the four Guardian value awards recognize an individual that embodies that value with a collective team award recognizing Guardian contribution that embody all four values. All military and civilian Guardians are eligible to be nominated for each Polaris Award category.   Demonstrating exceptional performance and representing the Guardian Spirit, the 2024 service-level Polaris Award recipients are:  The Character Award: Tech. Sgt. ...

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (AFNS) --  The roar of NASCAR engines wasn’t the only powerful force at the Daytona 500 this year; the U.S. Space Force made a strong showing at the iconic race to recruit the next generation of service members on February 16, 2025.  Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman, and Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna, represented the Department of the Air Force at the event, engaging with fans and potential recruits.   “Not everyone is willing to do what you’re about to do,” Saltzman said to a group of enlistees and Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets ahead of the race. “Thank you for taking on this tremendous challenge. Your nation is counting on you, and I know you’re going to do all th...

TOKYO (AFNS) --  Senior leaders from U.S. Space Force’s Space Operations Command visited Japan Feb. 9-11, to engage with U.S. Space Force personnel and bolster an alliance with one of the U.S. Space Force’s closest allies, the Japanese Self-Defense Force.While in Japan, Lt. Gen. David N. Miller Jr., SpOC commander, and Chief Master Sgt. Caleb Lloyd, SpOC command senior enlisted leader, met with members of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force’s Space Operations Group, which was activated in 2022, at Fuchu Air Base. During this engagement, Miller spoke to the continuously growing strength of the partnership between the two organizations.“I believe what you see from the United States is a recognition that throughout our history, we don’t go it alone when d...

ARLINGTON, Va. (AFNS) --  The Spark Tank 2025 semifinals were held Jan. 28 in the Pentagon. The Spark Tank production team presented the top 15 ideas, identified by 1,925 Airmen and Guardians casting nearly 35,000 pairwise votes and subject matter expert evaluations, to a panel co-chaired by the vice chief of staff of the Air Force and the vice chief of space operations.  Department of the Air Force executives reviewed the innovators’ pitch videos and discussed the merits of each idea, reaching consensus to identify the six finalists. Out of a record 441 submissions from across the Space Force and Air Force, the...