Happy anniversary: Commissaries honor Space Force’s first year of service
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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 first birthday and pledge our commitment to delivering an efficient commissary benefit to our patrons in this command,” Saucedo said.
“Over the last 60 years American ingenuity and ambition has sent us to the moon, landed a rover on mars and sent satellites into the furthest 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 on Sept. 1, 1982.
With the fiscal ’20 National Defense Authorization Act officially designating AFSPC as the U.S. Space Force, the U.S. will be better prepared to react an ever changing strategic environment, according to Space Force Gen. John Raymond, chief of space operation.
“I think there’s a realization amongst nations that access to space is no longer a given,” said Raymond in a Nov. 25 DOD News article. “We’ve got to make sure that we stay ahead of this growing threat.”
Raymond said an estimated 600 service members will call Space Force home. No matter the number of members, DeCA will continue delivering their benefit.
“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 first 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.
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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.