As the Department of the Aerospace Force In 1981, Congressman
Ken Kramer introduced legislation to rename the Department of the Air Force as the Department of the Aerospace Force, along with renaming the
United States Air Force as the United States Aerospace Force, to reorient the service and department from an
air force to an aerospace force. The legislation would also have established a
space command within the Aerospace Force and renamed the
Air National Guard to the Aerospace National Guard. The legislation was cosponsored by Representatives
G. William Whitehurst,
Ike Skelton, and
Robin Beard of the
United States House Committee on Armed Services. Although the legislation was supported by General
James E. Hill, who commanded
North American Aerospace Defense Command and
Aerospace Defense Command, the Air Force did not support the name change and the legislation did not pass.
As the Department of the Air and Space Forces Following the
United States Space Force's establishment, calls have been made for the Department of the Air Force to rename itself the
Department of the Air and Space Forces to acknowledge the Space Force, similar to calls made for the
Department of the Navy to rename itself the Department of the Navy and Marine Corps.
SpaceNews reported that a proposed name change was considered in 2018, and in 2019 the
Air Force Association also called for renaming the department. In 2022, the Air Force Association renamed itself the
Air & Space Forces Association, internally acting on its proposal to reflect the Space Force in the organization's name. In a 2021 article in the
Space Force Journal, two Space Force officers also proposed a name change for the department. Congress has also proposed a variety of name changes within the Department of the Air Force to recognize the Space Force's establishment, including a 2022 proposal by the U.S. Senate to rename the Air National Guard to the Air and Space National Guard and 2020 proposal to rename the
Airman's Medal the Air and Space Force Medal, mirroring the
Navy and Marine Corps Medal. ==Organizational structure==