The details: On the designated side, the ranks are now keeping pace with the Air Force’s structure. The exception occurs in the first four ranks, which are called Specialist 1, Specialist 2, Specialist 3 and Specialist 4.
The rest are the same: sergeant, technical sergeant, master sergeant, etc.
On the officer side, the ranks are identical to those found in the Air Force, Army, and Marine Corps, beginning with Second Lieutenant and beginning with General.
In collaboration with a ‘specialist’ rather than an ‘aviator’ ‘, the service with the head of space operations, Genl. Jay Raymond’s promise to have a gender-neutral rank structure that does not contain the word man.
On Capitol Hill: Last year, the House approved Crenshaw’s language in the annual defense policy bill that requires the service to use Navy ranks, such as sailor, non-commissioned officer, ensign and admiral. Some view the Space Force’s mission to defend machinery and trade in the vast expanse as analogous to the Navy’s mission to protect the high seas.
Others wanted the service, which disbanded from the Air Force in 2019, to establish its own culture and identity separate from its parent service, and view different ranks as one way to do so.
Take me to your leader: The effort had some high profile fans. Shatner immersed himself in the debate last year when he drafted an essay in August to aspire to the service of adopting naval ranks, citing a variety of space icons in pop culture.
But the language was stripped of the final compromise bill, which left the decision to the Space Force.
What’s next: The ranks are just the latest move for the service, which has adopted a logo, flag and motto over the past year. Other items on their list include an official song and costume.