The 138th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron at Peterson Space Force Base was among National Guard units across six states that transferred their missions into the Space Force earlier this month.

In the past, the local unit deployed to help deny enemy communications, and its members drew on their background from their civilian careers to inform the work.

Members of the 138th deployed to Niger during a coup in 2023 and wrote code in the field to get past challenges on the battlefield, The Gazette reported previously. In May, the unit employed about 100 people.  

In addition to absorbing the Peterson-based unit, the Space Force also assumed missions from other states on Oct. 1 and will now run missions focused on electronic warfare, missile warning, satellite communications and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, according to a statement from Space Operations Command. The missions were absorbed by units already focused on those areas. 

The federal government shutdown did not have a significant impact on the transfer, which included facilities and equipment, the written statement from Space Operations Command said. The command could not estimate yet how many active-duty troops will be needed to take over the work. 

The space-focused units employed 578 people in operational roles across Colorado, Alaska, California, Florida, Hawaii and Ohio who were eligible for transfer into the active-duty. In Colorado, the transfer was expected to impact about 100 positions, according to the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act. 

Gov. Jared Polis and the other governors of affected states opposed the transfer. Polis argued the transfer was a direct override of states’ authority to control National Guard units. He said in a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin that the transfer “flies in the face of over 120 years of military tradition, organizational structure and efficacy and precedent.”

The National Guard Association and Colorado lawmakers advocated for years to create a dedicated Space National Guard that would give units orphaned by the creation of the Space Force a home.   

But members of Congress backed a plan to move the units into active duty. At the end of last year, House Armed Services Committee ranking member Adam Smith, D-Wash, said that the number of space operators was so small the governors shouldn’t worry about precedent. 

The Colorado National Guard said it has transferred its facilities at Peterson to the Space Force, which would have included the 138th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron’s state-of-the-art building opened in 2023. 

The state National Guard expects to maintain its facilities in Greeley that could house some new possible missions, it said in a statement. 

Over the summer, the Colorado Department of Military and Veterans Affairs said in a statement that the state expected to receive new missions from the Air Force. 

“The secretary of the Air Force has spoken with the governor and Major General (Laura) Clellan and given us his word that the Colorado Air National Guard will not decrease end strength, and any units marked for a mission transfer to US Space Force will be provided a new mission in the Colorado Air National Guard,” the statement said. 

The Colorado National Guard is pursuing a contingency response group, an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance group, and a possible Guard detachment at the U.S. Air Force Academy, Col. Carrie Worrell, commander of the 140th Wing said in a statement. The Guard could not share a timeline on receiving new missions. 

Among the Colorado guardsmen previously working in space, a few transferred into active duty, but most have remained with the guard to pursue new opportunities, the guard said in its written response. 

 “The majority have chosen to stay with the Colorado Air National Guard to pursue new opportunities and preserve the unique benefits that drew them to the Guard to begin with,” the statement said. 

In August, the Space Force revealed the details of its plan to offer part-time positions to members of the Air Force Reserve and National Guard. That’s been met with criticism because it does not offer long-term part-time positions that would allow the guardians to maintain their civilian careers.

The National Guard previously warned that very few of its seasoned professionals in space would transfer into the active-duty Space Force, and that could potentially lead to a capability gap. The guardsmen were not interested in leaving their civilian careers, the leadership of the 138th said previously.

The Colorado Air National Guard also “was not directed to provide any training as part of the transfer.” Space Force guardians will run the missions now, the statement said.

The Colorado National Guard did not host any ceremonies to mark the transfer.