Quick: What’s the Space Force’s Mission Statement?
Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman challenged Guardians in his latest force-wide “C-note” to come up with a clearer, better mission statement. In the message, distributed May 15 and provided to Air & Space Forces Magazine by a source, Saltzman called a service’s mission statement “one of the most important expressions of service ethos.”
“How many Guardians can recite the current mission statement of the Space Force? My guess is very few,” Saltzman said. That means it’s not doing it’s job.
Today’s Space Force mission statement is 36 words long: “The USSF is responsible for organizing, training, and equipping Guardians to conduct global space operations that enhance the way our joint and coalition forces fight, while also offering decision makers military options to achieve national objectives.”
Saltzman argued a successful mission statement should be:
- Informative
- Memorable
- Inclusive
- Earn buy-in
The current mission statement falls short because organizing, training, and equipping only covers functions performed by headquarters staffs, Saltzman said. But “Guardians deliver capability. Guardians operate some of the most technologically advanced systems in the world. In doing so, they deter aggression and, should deterrence fail, protect U.S. interests with military force.”
Nor is the existing statement memorable, so it doesn’t generate buy-in from Guardians. Instead, he said, it’s “long and cumbersome.” Indeed, it’s four times longer than the Air Force’s mission statement: “To fly, fight, and win … Airpower anytime, anywhere.”
“We can do better,” Saltzman said. Staff is already developing alternatives but Guardians can join the fight now. Saltzman asked for feedback and suggestions.
The CSO did not offer a timeline for when a new mission statement might be unveiled.