Commissaries honor Space Force's second birthday

Courtesy Photo | On Dec. 20, 2019, Congress established the U.S. Space Force within the Department of the Air Force.  

FORT LEE, VA, UNITED STATES

12.14.2021

Courtesy Story

Defense Commissary Agency

By DeCA Corporate Communications

NOTE: Click https://vimeo.com/651181628/0bee598c76 to see a DeCA video tribute to the Space Force.


FORT LEE, Va. – On Dec. 20, 2019, Congress established the U.S. Space Force within the Department of the Air Force.

The Defense Commissary Agency is honored to deliver the commissary benefit to Space Force’s service members and their family members, said Marine Sgt. Maj. Michael R. Saucedo, senior enlisted advisor to the DeCA director.

“At DeCA, we are proud to celebrate Space Force’s second anniversary and pledge our commitment to delivering an efficient commissary benefit to our patrons in this command,” Saucedo said.

“Over the last 60-plus years American ingenuity and ambition has sent us to the moon, landed a rover on mars and sent satellites into the far reaches of space,” he added. “Space Force was established to continue that legacy with a mission to protect U.S. and allied interests in space, and to provide space capabilities to the joint force.

Space Force’s path to becoming a new branch of the armed services began with the Air Force, which established the Air Force Space Force Command (AFSPC) on Sept. 1, 1982.

The fiscal ’20 National Defense Authorization Act officially designated AFSPC as the U.S. Space Force. The Space Force is a separate and distinct branch of the armed services that’s organized under the Air Force similar to how the Marine Corps is aligned under the Department of the Navy. The smallest of the services, Space Force has 4,840 personnel with 77 spacecraft.

“We exist to provide the benefit to all eligible beneficiaries, and Space Force is a valued member of our patron base,” Saucedo said. “We wish them all the best on their second birthday, and I want their service members and their families to know their commissary saves them thousands of dollars annually when compared with civilian supermarkets.”

Members of Space Force, along with other active-duty and reserve component counterparts, may shop at any of DeCA’s nearly 240 commissaries at U.S. military installations around the world.

-DeCA-


About DeCA: The Defense Commissary Agency operates a worldwide chain of commissaries providing groceries to military personnel, retirees and their families in a safe and secure shopping environment. Commissaries provide a military benefit, saving authorized patrons thousands of dollars annually on their purchases compared to similar products at commercial retailers. The discounted prices include a 5-percent surcharge, which covers the costs of building new commissaries and modernizing existing ones. A core military family support element, and a valued part of military pay and benefits, commissaries contribute to family readiness, enhance the quality of life for America’s military and their families, and help recruit and retain the best and brightest men and women to serve their country.

• Date Taken: 12.14.2021
• Date Posted: 12.14.2021 10:10
• Story ID: 411060
• Location: FORT LEE, VA, US