Mike Pence Mocked After Announcing Space Force Members Will Be Called ‘Guardians’

Speaking from the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Friday, Vice President Mike Pence announced that the United States Space Force members will be called “guardians.”

“We just returned from the Oval Office and so it is my honor, on behalf of the President of the United States, to announce that henceforth, the men and women of the United States Space Force will be known as guardians,” Pence said at an event celebrating the Space Force’s first year.

The name was chosen from suggestion made by members of the service, which is the newest U.S. military branch since the Air Force in 1947.

The Space Force tweeted Friday, “Today, after a yearlong process that produced hundreds of submissions and research involving space professionals and members of the general public, we can finally share with you the name by which we will be known: Guardians.”

It added, “Guardians is a name with a long history in space operations, tracing back to the original command motto of Air Force Space Command in 1983, ‘Guardians of the High Frontier’…The name Guardians connects our proud heritage and culture to the important mission we execute 24/7, protecting the people and interest of the U.S. and its allies.”

The name was widely mocked on social media as wags quickly cooked up memes to deride the moniker.