Space Force to march in Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration, a 1st for the new military branch

On Monday (Jan. 20), the U.S. Space Force will participate in a presidential inauguration for the first time.

Representing the military branch will be 45 Guardians, the official name for U.S. Space Force personnel, who work in a wide range of careers across the country. The 45 Guardians, who are volunteers, recently arrived at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, a large military installation in Washington, D.C., where they’ve been practicing drills for Monday’s inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

They’ve come together with the Space Force Honor Guard, which was founded 17 months ago, to march in the inauguration parade. The Space Force representatives will march along with units from the U.S. Air Force Band, U.S. Air Force Academy and members of the active-duty Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve. (The Space Force is part of the Air Force, just as the U.S. Marine Corps is part of the Department of the Navy.)

“This is a great opportunity for Guardians to get out on their marks and represent their service in front of a global audience,” U.S. Air Force Maj. David McLellan, U.S. Air Force Honor Guard commander, who oversees U.S. Space Force Honor Guard training, said in a statement.

“This is actually the first time in the Space Force’s five-year history that they have been able to fully represent their service in a presidential inauguration,” McLellan continued.

Related: What is the U.S. Space Force and what does it do?

The Space Force was founded in 2019, during Trump’s first term, after the Department of Defense identified that U.S. critical infrastructure is increasingly dependent on satellites. The Space Force was the first new branch of the military since the U.S. Air Force was established in 1947.

Last August, during one of his campaign speeches, Trump expressed his intention to create the Space National Guard. The office of President Joe Biden issued a statement last year arguing against a Space National Guard, saying it would create additional bureaucracy and expense.

Speaking about the Guardians who will join a presidential inauguration for the first time, Senior Master Sgt. Matthew Massoth, U.S. Space Force Honor Guard senior enlisted leader, said in the same statement: “By stepping up as volunteers, they represent every Guardian who has raised their right hand to serve their nation. This opportunity puts them on a global stage to honor their service and our branch’s crucial role in defense.”