R 191411Z DEC 24
ALMAR 036/24
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC//
SUBJ/UNITED STATES SPACE FORCE 5TH ANNIVERSARY//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  On behalf of all Marines, I offer my 
congratulations to all Guardians on the fifth anniversary of the 
United States Space Force.  We honor your commitment and service.
2.  The United States Space Force was established on 20 December
2019.  While the Service is young, the legacy the Guardians have
inherited is not.  The United States' space-based capabilities have
provided American fighting forces with a dominant edge for decades.
During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, the satellite-based Global 
Positioning System (GPS) not only allowed Marines to navigate across
vast, open desert, helping deliver victory, it also enabled the first
at-scale application of GPS-guided weapon systems.  The Space Force
confronts daunting challenges now that space-based technology is 
even more essential to military operations at the same time 
our adversaries have stepped up their efforts to compete with the
United States in that domain.  In just five years, the Space Force
consolidated space operations under its direction and strengthened
ties with international partners, having conducted a combined launch
with a NATO ally just this past year.  In testing the Integrated
Mission Delta concept, Guardians continue to innovate to secure our
Nation's interests in, from, and to space.
3.  The Marine Corps admires all that the Space Force has 
accomplished in these past five years.  Marines have no doubt they
will succeed in the air, on land, and at sea, with Guardians above.  
Semper Supra and Happy Anniversary. 
4.  Semper Fidelis, Eric M. Smith, General, U.S. Marine Corps, 
Commandant of the Marine Corps. //