Colorado’s congressional delegation turned up the heat on the Air Force this week, demanding to know why hundreds of space mission positions tied to the Greeley Air National Guard were stripped from state control and what will happen to the people who held them. Lawmakers say the sudden shift is already shrinking Colorado’s military footprint and rattling communities that host Guard units. A delegation letter, led by Reps. Jason Crow and Gabe Evans press Air Force leaders to spell out a path forward for affected airmen.
In the letter, sent Tuesday to Air Force Secretary Troy Meink and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, the delegation asks for specifics on how airmen will be reassigned or supported, according to Colorado Public Radio. The lawmakers describe the divestment as having “had a profound and immediate impact on our state’s military footprint” and call for clear timelines and options for the personnel who saw their billets disappear.
How The Transfer Happened
The space mission jobs at the heart of the dispute did not vanish by accident. The transfer was written into the fiscal year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, then carried out through Air Force actions that shifted certain Air National Guard space functions into the U.S. Space Force. A July memo from Secretary Meink set October 1, 2025, as the effective date for many of the changes and listed specific Air National Guard space units that would move under Space Force control, according to Military.com.
Local Numbers: Greeley’s Loss
For Greeley, the numbers are stark. The delegation’s letter reports that 393 military billets within the 233rd Space Group at Greeley Air National Guard Station were affected by the divestment – 178 full-time posts and 215 part-time roles. It also notes that 19 airmen have already transferred to the Space Force and 14 others either shifted to different units or left the service entirely, creating immediate gaps in staffing for the unit’s missions, according to Colorado Public Radio.
Guardsmen, Surveys And Concerns
Well before those billets were formally moved, many Guard space professionals in Colorado were already signaling reluctance about following their jobs into the new service. A 2025 questionnaire of Air National Guard space personnel in the state found that only 8 percent said they would be willing to transfer to the Space Force, while nearly 80 percent said they would not, according to a survey reported by the National Guard Association of the United States. The 233rd Space Group – which handles missile-warning and space communications missions – includes nearly 400 Airmen, the 140th Wing fact sheet states, and the survey results are summarized by NGAUS.
What Lawmakers Want Next
In their letter, Colorado’s lawmakers demand concrete details on how the Air Force plans to reassign, retrain, or otherwise support airmen whose billets were moved, and they ask for firm timelines so governors and local officials are not left guessing. The delegation says it intends to push for follow-up briefings with Air Force leaders and for clear assurances about whether Colorado will retain local missions – and the jobs that come with them…