Sen. Cramer Delivers Remarks at Space Force Birthday

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WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), Co-Chair of the Senate Space Force Caucus and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), delivered remarks at the Space Force 3^rd Birthday Celebration. The event was attended by U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, Chief of Space Operations General Chance Saltzman, Air Force Vice Chief of Staff General David Allvin, and Space Force Chief Master Sergeant Roger Towberman.

“It’s hard to believe it’s already been three years when the Space Force has accomplished so much in such a short amount of time. There is a command center in Hawaii to manage space operations in the Indo-Pacific, there is a Space Force-specific boot camp for new recruits, and there have been many successful launches throughout the year. These are just a handful of the achievements from our Guardians over the last year. Space is a critical domain. Now more than ever it’s vital we have a dedicated service to protect us from evolving threats and ensure we maintain America’s advantage in space. Happy third birthday to the U.S. Space Force, I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays to come!” said Senator Cramer.

Senator Cramer was joined by members of the Senate and House Space Force Caucus. 

Background:

Senator Cramer was instrumental in the creation of the Space Force, securing its inclusion in the National Defense Authorization Act, which President Trump signed in December 2019. Since then, Senator Cramer has helped with its implementation, using his seat on SASC to work with space leaders and bring them to North Dakota to see the state’s space potential firsthand. This included Chief of Space Operations General Raymond’s first official trip as the leader of Space Force, where he visited the University of North Dakota’s School of Aerospace Sciences and Cavalier Air Force Station (now Space Force Station).

Formed in 2020, the Senate Space Force Caucus is led by Senator Cramer and fellow co-chairs Senators Kyrsten Sinema (D-AZ), Jerry Moran (R-KS), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM). In February 2021, Senator Cramer convened the first Senate Space Force Caucus event highlighting the need to bolster America’s presence in space.

In June, Senator Cramer participated in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) first Ground Operations and Integration Center at Grand Forks Air Force Base (GFAFB). GFAFB and the City of Grand Forks were selected as the home of SDA’s first Ground Operations and Integration Center which will operate and control multiple-layer satellite operations for Tranche 1 of the National Defense Space Architecture (NDSA). The NDSA provides high-speed tactical data transport and supports DoD’s “pivot” to a multi-orbit, resilient missile warning, missile tracking, and missile defense architecture. Learn more here.

Earlier this month, Senator Cramer released a column highlighting the legacy of North Dakota in space and the Artemis I rocket launch—the next step in returning humans to the Moon for the first time since 1972.