Pence announces first two Space Force bases in US

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Vice President Mike Pence announced the first two Space Force bases during a speech Wednesday at the eighth meeting of the National Space Council that reiterated the organization's mission.

The vice president dedicated the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the Patrick Space Force Base, both in Florida, as the first two installations for the organization.

“Today we make history with the first two installations in the history of the United States Space Force to bear the name of this new branch of the service,” Pence said. “It is a great day for our military. It is a great day for Florida, it is a great day for America.”

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The renaming does not officially designate the bases as functional Space Force installations just yet, according to Space News.

A mission realignment will be forthcoming, however. The delay is likely due to language in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2021 that requires the Pentagon to first brief the congressional defense committees on business case analysis.

In December of last year, Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond said the Air Force was looking to rename bases that house space units “to be space bases.”

Pence also reiterated the Space Force mission to build a base on the moon, which would serve as a location for “training for future deep-space missions.”

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“We’re going to the moon, and then we’re going to Mars and beyond,” Pence said.