Why Abbott joined all US governors in opposing Air Force proposal to move some Guard troops

A plan by the Air Force secretary to reassign some units of the Air National Guard to the fledgling U.S. Space Force has rankled the nation's governors and united them in fiercely opposing the proposal because the part-time service members affected would no longer be under state control and available to deal with local emergencies such as natural disasters and civil crises.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott this week joined his counterparts from the other 49 states and five U.S. territories in calling on President Joe Biden and the Pentagon's top brass to scuttle the policy known as Air Force Legislative Proposal 480 that would apply to about 1,000 air guard members in units with space duties in seven states: Alaska, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, New York and Ohio.

Though Texas is not among the affected states, Abbott in a May 6 letter to Biden said the plan "would set a dangerous precedent" that could have the effect of "sidelining governors as the commander-in-chief" of National Guard units in their states.

"Members of the Texas National Guard must always stand ready to respond to natural disasters, civil disturbances, cartel activity that threaten our way of life," Abbott said in the letter. "Instead of attempting such a power grab in Congress, the U.S. Department of the Air Force should work with the affected governors to build up the Space Force in a way that is consistent with federal law.”

Air National Guard members have been used in Abbott's border security initiative known as Operation Lone Star, including providing aircraft to move troops from various locations in the state to the border and to assist in seizing illegal narcotics, according to the governor's office. In August, members of the Oklahoma Air National Guard were part of that state's 50-person unit deployed to the Texas border to assist in the $11 billion border security effort.

Deep-seated opposition to Air Force secretary's plan

The Space Force proposal handed down March 15 by Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and subject to congressional approval has been met with widespread disapproval across a variety of military, political and civilian fronts. The National Guard Association labeled it a "federal overreach" and included a page on its website where members could petition their representatives in Congress to reject the proposal.

More than 85 members of Congress have issued statements calling Legislative Proposal 480 a bad idea that should be shelved.

More: U.S. Space Force Captain explains what it means to be a Guardian

The National Association of Governors Association in late April announced that 10 state chief executives had come out in opposition to the plan and were urging Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to veto it even before Congress would take it up. Within a week, the list of state governors ballooned to 48, and five governors from U.S. territories joined the chorus.

Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis were the last to formally condemn the measure.

When he unveiled his proposal, Kendall told lawmakers that the number of units and Air National Guard members affected would be minimal and that the plan would eliminate the need for a Space National Guard, which was proposed in the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act.

“It’s a unique situation," Kendall was quoted in news accounts as saying. "There’s absolutely no intention to make any other changes, moving things out of the Guard.”

The Space Force was established in December 2019 out of "widespread recognition that space is a national security imperative," the military's newest branch states on its website. It is also the smallest component, making up only about 3% of the nation's defense budget.

Is criticism of the Air National Guard proposal being overblown?

At the Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Co., last month, Kendall said the controversy over his plan was being blown out of proportion.

“We’ve had much, much more political attention over this issue than it deserves in my mind,” he said, according to media reports. “We’re talking about a few hundred people. The numbers for any state are less than, I think, 2% of their Guard people, and there are only a handful of states (that) are affected.”

Abbott, along with the other governors, keyed much of his objection to the provision that would put the affected Guard members out of his reach, breaking a long-standing precedent that gives governors a free hand in mobilizing the military units under their command.

"Congress has long required the consent of a governor before units can be transferred out of the National Guard he commands," Abbott's letter said, adding that the proposal could open the door to "allowing the Secretaries (of military departments) to dismantle National Guard units on a whim."

Govs. Spencer Cox, R-Utah, and Jared Polis, D-Colorado, the chairman and vice chairman of the National Governors Association respectively, said in a statement emailed to news outlets Thursday that they discussed the the Space Force/Guard initiative with Kendall the day before but came away "disappointed that he did not commit to withdrawing the proposal."

"We cannot have productive conversations on this matter until LP 480 is set aside," Cox and Polis said in a joint statement. “Governors remain united, ready and willing to work with the Air Force and Defense Department in a way that comports with federal law, honors our trusted historical partnership with our Armed Services, and satisfies decades of precedent."

Editor's note: An earlier version of this story said the National Guard labeled the proposal to transfer some units of the Air Force National Guard to the Space Force "an overreach." The comment was made by the Nation Guard Association, an advocacy organization made up of present and former Guard members that is not affiliated with the military reserve branch.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: US governors object to moving Air National Guard troops to Space Force