On Friday, Vice President Mike Pence announced that members of the Space Force military service will be called guardians.
“We just returned from the Oval Office and so it is my honor, on behalf of the President of the United States, to announce that henceforth, the men and women of the United States Space Force will be known as guardians,” Pence said at an event celebrating the Space Force’s first year.
The Space Force tweeted Friday that the name announcement came “after a yearlong process that produced hundreds of submissions and research involving space professionals and members of the general public. Guardians is a name with a long history in space operations, tracing back to the original command motto of Air Force Space Command in 1983, ‘Guardians of the High Frontier.”
In his opening remarks, Pence called President Donald Trump, the “founder of the United States Space Force.”
It is not immediately clear why Trump was not at the ceremony himself, as he had no other events that would cause a scheduling conflict. His absence caused speculation among many media sources.
Pence also announced earlier this month that Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and Patrick Air Force Base will be renamed Space Force stations.
Read More: Space Force Members Will Be Called “Guardians” Mike Pence Announces
