The Space Force is the newest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, established in 2019, with the mission to organize, train, and equip personnel for space operations to protect U.S. and allied interests in space. It is responsible for securing national objectives through military space power by providing capabilities to other branches, managing space assets like GPS and satellite communications, and ensuring freedom of operation in space to secure U.S. interests in, from, and to space. This includes protecting critical assets like GPS and communication satellites, supporting military operations, and deterring aggression in space. Space Force personnel are trained and equipped for global space operations, including defending against threats, supporting rocket launches, tracking space debris, and managing space-based missile warning systems and cybersecurity networks. It operates as a separate service branch under the Department of the Air Force, similar to the relationship between the Marine Corps and the Navy. The members are called "Guardians," a name that connects to the history of the Air Force Space Command's motto, "Guardians of the High Frontier," and was established on December 20, 2019, making it the first new branch of the U.S. military since 1947.