The newly created U.S. Space Force had a milestone event – three officers (officially called Guardians in the agency) marched in the desert of West Texas, during which they had to perform physical fitness tests in accordance with army standards. The participants were rewarded with spurs, cowboy hats and the title of the first ‘Space Cowboys’ of the newest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces.
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Becoming a spurs holder is a time-honoured tradition in the army cavalry, where recruits have to demonstrate their skills with edged weapons and horse riding. For Space Force officers, whose service is spent mostly in front of computer screens in well-equipped, comfortable command centres, this is almost a forgotten exotic.
According to Lieutenant Jordan Savage, a participant in the march, they had to cover almost 60 kilometres with 27kg rucksacks with little sleep, a stark contrast to their daily service. And his fellow development engineer Lieutenant Jackson Jennings admitted that ‘they had no mandatory physical training’.
