Governor Polis and Colorado Congressional Delegation Applaud New Mission Assignment for Colorado National Guard Members

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DENVER - Today, Governor Polis and the Colorado Congressional Delegation celebrated that hundreds of Colorado Air National Guard members will be given a new assignment after the Air Force decided to "divest" or move on from Air National Guard space missions, leading to significant uncertainty for the impacted personnel.

"Colorado has been working across our state and federal government to ensure that we can support and strengthen our Air National Guard members, their families, and our Colorado National Guard as a whole – and today we are celebrating this success. I appreciate the work of our federal delegation to continue fighting alongside us for these National Guard members, and now they have the certainty they need to continue serving. Without a new mission, we risked losing these talented, dedicated service men and women," said Governor Jared Polis.

"Colorado's Air National Guard members devote themselves to serving our country, and the uncertainty surrounding their future put unnecessary strain on them and their families. This decision provides stability for hundreds of Coloradans and helps ensure we keep the talented service members on which our state and nation rely. I'm glad that, after continued advocacy from the Coloradans here in Congress and from Colorado leadership, there is finally a path forward for the men and women who choose to serve," said Senator Michael Bennet.

"Today's news is a win for service members across Colorado's Air National Guard," said Congressman Jason Crow. "These men and women have dedicated their lives to protecting our state and nation, and their families deserve certainty about their mission and their service. I'm proud to have fought to get them that certainty and ensure military leadership are looking out for Colorado's citizen soldiers."

"Colorado's Air National Guard members deserve certainty about their future, and we made clear that we cannot risk losing these talented men and women," said Representative Joe Neguse. "I join the Colorado Delegation in applauding the remissioning of the 233rd Space Group, which will now provide a path forward for the hundreds of airmen and their families in Colorado."

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"I want to thank Secretary Meink and General Wilsbach for their swift action in responding to the letter we sent this week. This decision will ensure that nearly 400 Airmen with the 233rd Space Group will be able to continue serving their nation at the Greeley Air National Guard Station. These dedicated men and women are an essential part of our national defense and this decision protects their vital contribution to our community." - Rep. Jeff Crank (CO-05).

"As a proud veteran of the Colorado National Guard, I am so honored to help deliver this win for the dedicated men and women serving to defend and protect our state and nation. The remissioning of the 233rd Space Group, which is based in Colorado's 8th Congressional District, restores confidence in our commitment to investing into our service members and their families, and gives them the assurance and certainty they deserve," said Congressman Gabe Evans.

"On the eve of Memorial Day, it's critical that we honor our service members by keeping our Space Operators, Security Forces, and logistics experts right here in Colorado serving their state and nation. Thanks to persistent bipartisan pressure and the Trump administration's focus on military readiness, hundreds of full-time and part-time Airmen now have certainty instead of uncertainty. Our National Guard members and their families deserve this stability, and I'll keep fighting to make sure Colorado's military installations and veterans are prioritized. God bless our troops," said Representative Lauren Boebert.

"I'm incredibly grateful that after so much uncertainty, hundreds of dedicated service members and their families will now be able to continue their careers here in Colorado," said Pettersen. "This is the result of consistent advocacy and collaboration across Colorado's entire delegation, Governor Polis, and military leadership to make sure we don't lose these talented National Guard Airmen and the critical expertise they bring to our state and national security," said Representative Brittany Pettersen.

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"Colorado's Air National Guard members have dedicated their careers to serving our country, and they deserve certainty about their future and their mission. This decision helps provide long-term stability for the men and women of the 233rd Space Group and their families while strengthening Colorado's role in our national defense. I appreciate the collaboration between state and federal leaders to help secure a path forward for these servicemembers, and I will continue working to ensure Colorado remains a leader in military readiness and national security," said Representative Jeff Hurd.

The decision to offload space missions impacted 393 military billets within the 233rd Space Group – COANG based at the Greeley Air National Guard Station, specifically threatening the careers of 178 full-time and 215 part-time Airmen, who were not immediately reassigned to a new mission. The uncertainty this created made it harder to keep skilled personnel across a wide variety of backgrounds, such as Space Operators, Security Forces, Communication Specialists, and Logistics personnel. The group lost 14 Airmen to other units, separation, or retirement, with 19 more Airmen projected to transfer to the U.S. Space Force, while the remissioning decision was pending.

The 23rd Space Group - Air National Guard members will now be assigned to an Intelligence Group and a Red Horse Squadron. Red Horse Squadrons support infrastructure and construction.

Governor Polis, Colorado National Guard leadership, and the congressional delegation have been advocating for prompt remissioning since the space mission decision was announced, including meeting with high-level Air Force officials. Last week, Colorado's federal delegation sent a letter to the Secretary of the Air Force reiterating the urgency on assigning a new mission for these members to avoid further retention issues, and members of the House Armed Services Committee also raised the issue during a hearing on the Air Force's budget request on Wednesday. Now that a formal decision has been made on remissioning, the final step is for the Air Force to sign the Record of Decision to initiate transfer activities.

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