speaker-0: Jennifer Salzman, it's so good to have you on the Space Power Podcast. You know, I've not seen you since the Space Power Conference in 2025. We've been friends for probably 30 plus years. And so I can't tell you how much of an honor it is to have you sitting down talking about your journey, your journey being a spouse, supportive spouse to your husband, who is now the chief of space operations. So let's start with your background. Tell the audience a little bit about your story.

Space Force Association: But first, a short message from our sponsor. This episode of Space Power is sponsored by CXAL, Connected Alliances. CXAL integrates expertise, best practices, and solutions to solve the complex challenges facing our military and nation and our world. They start fast, pivot quickly, and never lose momentum. Accelerating delivery through the Pathfinder model, an outcome-based approach that moves clients toward the right solution, simply and clearly. Because trusted partnerships unlock what's possible, CXAL propels us for the

Bill Woolf: Somewhere out there, a guardian is holding onto a candy bar they are never going to eat. It has a little Space Force sticker on it, and it was handed to them by the wife of the chief of space operations, who shows up at bases with a bag full of chocolate and one steady message, don't stress, guardians have the watch. It's easy picture the Space Force as satellites and rockets and rows of consoles. Jennifer Saltzman is a reminder that there are also 10,000 people and their families standing behind them. A service still ⁓ small enough that piece of candy and a Delta necklace makes someone feel seen. Her favorite word for all of it is connection. And after this conversation, it's hard to argue with her. Here's where you come in.

speaker-1: I do. I really appreciate the time and we have been friends for a really long time, which is actually one of the gifts of being in the military. You know, you have friends and you meet people that become important forever. And you have them everywhere, you know, all across the world, all across the country. You, you know, will then overlap at a base again and have a familiar face, and that's always a good thing. ⁓ but I also really want to just thank SFA. ⁓ it is an amazing organization that's so proud to do.

Bill Woolf: The Space Force doesn't have a base in every town, and still, less than 10% of Americans know it exists. So most of the work of telling its story falls to people who care enough to talk about it. Anyone can be one of them. It starts by noticing how much of your own day quietly runs on space and telling someone else. If you know a guardian, thank one. And for anyone who wants to do more than talk, the Space Force Association has chapters and volunteers across the country doing exactly this work.

Space Force Association: Forward and unlocks the power of we. Learn more at cx al.com.

speaker-1: Anything for because it only one that was completely devoted just for the Space Force and for Guardians. So it's an important platform because again, the Space Force really isn't that old still. It's getting better. I don't I don't get the questions quite as often of: is that still a thing? Is there a space force? What does it do? Without Guardians and the Space Force, life as we know it would quickly come to a halt. So

Bill Woolf: The place to begin is USSFA.org, where you can find a chapter near you, learn how to get involved, and support the families behind the mission. Connect with us on social media and follow the Space Power Podcast for more conversations like this. Space Power Podcast is produced by Ty Holliday. I'm Bill Wolf. We'll see you next time.

speaker-1: Although I don't get it as often, you know, you still get the question of, you know, what was the need. And I think sometimes the misconception of there was nothing s happening in that domain before the start of the service. And it's like, no, it just it became so important of a domain that we had to then, you know, the country had to create a service that was just designed. ⁓

Bill Woolf: It has been my honor to know Chance and Jennifer Saltzman for the past thirty years. First as members of the Air Force, and now as the most familiar faces in the Space Force community. This conversation is not gonna be about her being the spouse of General Saltzman. It's gonna be about what it feels like to raise a family inside a brand new military service, why she believes the connection is the most important word the Space Force has.

speaker-1: For that domain. We were always doing it. I mean, we all know, I mean, we were Air Force families and friends, and I think, shoot, we were, I'm gonna get this wrong, maybe 28, 29 years chance was an airman in the in the Air Force before switching over to the Space Force. And we were, I mean, other than the first four years where we met,

Bill Woolf: And how its spouses keep spotting problems and quietly going out and fixing them. I'm Bill Wolf, and this is Space Power.

speaker-1: space has been the business. So it's not new. It just it needed to have a service devoted to it because it's so critically important. let's see, what else did you say? ⁓ Asking about the start of of all of this stuff. ⁓ yeah, it it's it's just such a pleasure. This is the journey to end, you know, people have asked that question of like, Did you ever think that, you know, chance would become the CSO? And usually I just say, Well, no, I didn't I didn't predict that there was gonna be a space force, but I sure thought he might be, you know, the chief of the Air Force if that had still been a thing. ⁓ because, you know, sky's the limit for For chance. So, you know, loved being an Air Force family. even feel more privileged to be a Space Force family because it just seemed it's just such an honor to be in a startup. You know, you're we're all, you know, every day is filled with firsts. The first time this happened and the first time that guardians made this happen, and that, you know, families are excited and to be a part of such an important mission for the country. So yeah, I'm I love, I love Guardians. I love the Space Force.

speaker-0: Well what a tremendous journey, honestly. It I I've seen it as a a fan, obviously, of the Space Force. I I like to say I'm a cheerleader of the Space Force, but General Salzman will always say, you're cheerleader number one.

speaker-1: Well I mean again I'll all ⁓ no problem. I can be two to that because again, Legacy Guardian number one, I'm you know, super awesome. but yes, I I definitely am a fan. I was, I mean, I was most spirited in high school, and I think that continues. I do love a a theme and if I'm cheering for you, I'm a lifetime cheerer for you. And and it's easy. It's easy to do that because you know, the opportunities that we've had and guardians and bases and places. and stations and all the things that I've gotten to travel with, ⁓ to meet with families, you know, they're excited. 'Cause they they do know they're a part of something that is new and critical. ⁓ And you know, being in a startup, you get to kind of place what you find important and they do know that if they find a solution to a problem that other people are gonna listen. And then there's a lot more buy in. If you feel like I helped create something, it it's gonna be a more powerful organization for sure because then everybody's on board. ⁓ and it's easier to get excited when you think that you're being listened to and heard and that, you know, we're all I mean, spouses, families, you know ⁓ active duty, we're not all all gonna get this right in the first time, but knowing that no, we you know, we have a a a purpose and we're gonna do this together and that's that's been one of my favorite things is is being able to see new families. 'Cause it doesn't seem like that long ago that we were, you know, captains or first in or and then And we still say it all the time. We sit in a room or we're like, wait, are we the old people? Like, ⁓ yes, we are. I was like, that has been a long time ago or you know, time just goes so fast because I'll say, ⁓ that was, I don't know, maybe five years ago. Like Jennifer, that was like twenty years ago. I'm like, are you sure? And then I, you know, using reference points of two children's ages. And I'm like, well, that's true. Then if I do it in that way, okay, twenty years is it goes by really fast. goes by really fast.

speaker-0: Jennifer, let's talk about that though. You you talked about a couple of concepts I think are really important. One is we've seen a lot of technological changes in our lifetime. Remember, when we went to high school, there were typewriters and then word processors. Right. We didn't have phone the phones were attached to the wall. Correct.

speaker-1: With a really tangly cord that you wanted is so long that you could stretch it through to talk privately in a closet or something.

speaker-0: That's right. So we saw this technological advancement. These kids these days, I I call them the space native generation. They've never known not having space at their fingertips. And they touch, to your point, they touch space fifty times a day and they don't even know it. Right. And then what happens if that is a contested environment and they lose the ability to connect with each other via their phone or follow the dot on the map or post that post on Instagram, which in fact uses space architectures. Absolutely. So your point about yeah, the criticality of the Space Force at a time with this technological advancement is very well made. The other point you make is yeah, let's thank the Guardians. Now let's talk about these guardians. Because there's only ten thousand of them right now. Right. There's not a lot of them around the US. Right. And so for folks and I and I talk to young guardians on a regular basis, I bet you do too, they are still hearing that story. They see Space Force on the name tape, you know, on their on their uniforms, and they go, Wait, that's real? That's right.

speaker-1: That beautiful blue name tape. I love that blue name tape. ⁓

speaker-0: And so there's a lot of people who do want to learn more about the Space Force, but because they don't see one, they don't see satellites flying overhead. You know, you can see jets, you can see tanks, you can see boats, ships in the ocean, but you don't you don't see satellites. And so when they see guardians for the first time, they're like, ⁓ my gosh. That's a that they're real. I know. I wanna get shirts that made up that say guardians, they're real.

speaker-1: Meet one. That's right. Thank one. All those things. That's true. I mean, absolutely. And all of those, you know, you don't see them, but you also we're not just not embedded in all the communities that all of those other services are. Yeah. You know, we are so small. I would I would put ⁓ up against, you know, double and triple ⁓ the amount of people of of what they've been able to do so far in truly a very short amount of time. I mean, when you look at What has happened in six years? It's just tremendous. One you know, fun one for me, you know, I used to almost every time at an event, 'cause, you know, uniforms, that's a tricky thing. You know, wear tested and, you know, trying them out and, you know, little pockets of people had ⁓ And if there were two or three in a room, I'm like, get together. Let me take a picture. Like, look, there's, you know, to make it look like there's more of them that have uniforms. And and now, more often than not, you know, there are uniforms, you know, traveling around. And I've was able to go to a a BM.

speaker-0: Basic military training.

speaker-1: Okay, thank you. Again, I think I could have gotten that, but ⁓ maybe not. I got to go early on when Chance w has been CSO and you know, all of the graduating guardians are wearing just, you know, a small delta kind of on an Air Force uniform. Right. And this last time, just within the last month, they're they're in service dress, a guardian service dress. And soon, you know, there won't be those kids and graduates and they won't know that that was a hurdle. They're just gonna go to clothing sales like everybody else and pick out, you know, their stuff and get it fitted to them. Whereas, you know, and I got excited at that too. I think I took a picture with a mannequin, like, ⁓ my gosh, look. I mean, there's you know, there's service dress in in stores now. So that was a big change. ⁓ so those are just exciting things because you know, more and more ⁓ There are going to be members that have truly, you know, have never served in another service and they're only been a guardian. Yeah. And that's really cool too. You're right. You know, I I mean, that they don't even know what that means to transfer from another service. Exactly. And have and bring in other service things. And that's another exciting thing for all these kids is, gosh, they're they're so smart. I mean, and they're so ready to get after all these challenges because they're like, ⁓ I can I can handle that. Or if this isn't you know, working the way it's supposed to, just get a few of ⁓ together and they're gonna come up with solutions and Yeah, guardians and families are amazing. ⁓ it it just is always it is such a pleasure because, you know, still, you know, people still deciding to serve and saying, you know, no, I I do want to serve my country, so appreciative every day. But families do that too. Right. You know, especially or or you hope they do, because I think if families have that that buy in as well, then you're gonna have, you know, you there will never be a retention problem that you know. Recruiting is still great, ⁓ I mean, for the Space Force. They get the best of the best and the brightest and, you know, in in in every rank. So we're getting awesome quality people and you know awesome quality families come along with that. Right. ⁓ and yeah, you need that whole team to make this work because once again, you know, as the newest service, you know, you can't make a ten year guardian, you can't do it other than time. Right. So I you know, need ya, you know, to be as just as excited, you know, in the first year as in the tenth year. And then hopefully, you

speaker-0: Speaking of which, interestingly, I'll be interviewing on an upcoming podcast Colonel Allison Gonzalez, ⁓ who was a first model for the new uniform.

speaker-1: She's amazing. She is. She's awesome.

speaker-0: So let's talk about the Guardian story and some of the stories that you get to see and witness. Because space is as you're talking about, space is exciting. This is probably the most exciting time to be in space because of all the things that are happening. Right. I mean people don't realize. Right. Artemis two just landed after going around the moon. We're going back to the moon.

speaker-1: I can we do that? I still I mean amazed every time with all of those things and every minute detail that goes in and all of, you know, I don't know, it just it seems magical and it is it is so cool yeah that that was such a successful trip. But again, they went around the moon. Everybody. Yeah. Like

speaker-0: Unbelievable. Really a really, really big deal and they're s we're celebrating that now. And they couldn't have done it though without freedom of action in the domain. In fact, this is the first administrator of NASA to thank the Space Force for ensuring freedom of action in the domain, which is exactly what the Space Force is designed to do. Correct. So let's talk about the Guardian stories. I bet you get to you get to travel all over the world. Yes. And so let's talk about some of those highlights of the guardians that you've met and the stories that they tell.

speaker-1: Just so many and usually I sometimes can get a little more unfiltered feedback, which is really helpful because, you know, I You can't fix something if you don't know it's broken. That's right. And going out to different places and every, you know, station and base and you know, sometimes again, there's, you know, just a few guardians in a bigger operation. And, you know, they can feel isolated or not a part of things because there just aren't very many of them. Right. And, you know, I it is important because, you know, my favorite C of, you know, Space Force, you know, is connection. I mean, we all crave it, we all need it. ⁓ we all want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. ourselves and know that you know I that every piece that we can't function without every single piece and every person is important and every family is important that ⁓ that are trying to balance all kinds of ⁓ you know whether you know deployed in place you know there's all kinds of things that guardians experience that other services don't ⁓ and that's still something that we're trying to figure out how best Yeah, I don't know how just even how to explain that to others. Yeah. About how, you know, the things that guardians are doing and the missions that they're doing, very, very complex and difficult and but being deployed in place, people think, well, they get to go home. Well, it's like, well, it's very hard to switch, like, okay, ⁓ you know, I've just been doing this very complex thing, and now I just have to go mow the grass and act like it's like everything's great or you know, I've gotta help with homework and you know, kind of refocus. So I you know, just may I think making sure that we're paying attention that there are gonna be unique things that happen for our families that don't happen to other families. That's right. and I you know I I just I I think the most exciting part You know, the way that I approach or when I get to go around or meet people and, you know, maybe it's bribing, I don't know. I'm definitely the candy lady. I'm the space candy lady and ⁓ I pass out candy with space stickers anywhere I go and ⁓ because then it's just an easy way to say hello or who doesn't want some chocolate in the day. ⁓

speaker-0: I still by the way, I still have a candy bar that I have in my office with this Space Force sticker on it that you've giv that you've given to me in the past. And I'm like, that's so precious to me, so I'm just gonna go ahead and keep it.

speaker-1: Thank you so much for saying that 'cause yesterday and that's those are the things, you know, those little things do matter. Yesterday after ⁓ a keynote, this young guardian came up to me and said the same thing. He said, You know, you gave me a piece of chocolate like a year or two ago and I still have it. And I was like, Well I'm gonna give you something else 'cause there's always something else in my bag and I was like and I will. I mean I can, you know.

speaker-0: What about the how about the stress the stress balls that you hand out? Is that it? The moon, the planets, stress?

speaker-1: So again, and usually again, I will just say, don't stress. That's right. Guardians have the watch. That's right. Absolutely. So you you know, you don't have to. So then it you know, it just seems so I that just absolutely every time makes my day. Or, you know, any time, you know, when we started this journey, there weren't Delta things and there weren't I mean we didn't have swag. You know, there wasn't anything and so then you just have to make it.

speaker-0: You create an entire clothing line.

speaker-1: Yes, trying. Yep. And definitely, you know, with my necklaces and you know, hanging things and you know, any time I think, well, you know, I've been wearing them for years now and nobody never fails. Every single time someone goes, ⁓ is that a delta? I'm like, Absolutely it is. That's right. I mean, as big and proudly as I can wear it or and if you don't know what it is, I'd be happy to tell you about it. You know, I'd be happy to tell you why, you know, that I wear a delta to try to, you know, bring some more people and awareness of, you know, the greatest service is

speaker-0: Space Force. And I bet young people are looking at this or watching this today and they're wondering, how do I get involved? And that's part of it is they're not gonna necessarily on ramp just to go to the Space Force. But it's important for them to understand what the Space Force is. So regardless of the sector that they join, whether they go into the commercial, private sector, if they go into the civil sector working for NASA, or if they join the Space Force, the fact is space is exciting and there's room for them to start their careers today.

speaker-1: Absolutely. And it it's not it's not a a sector that's gonna get smaller. Right. I mean the amount of growth and I mean the amount of launches, the amount of everything, the exponential, you know, growth is like, you know, no other. And and there's no sign of it slowing down at all. ⁓ so yeah, there always is a place for everybody. But also, I mean e you know, for the SFA, and that's what's so helpful of all of the chapters and things and people that are taking, you know, their time to try to educate people that that don't know about the Space Force so there is a a greater understanding ⁓ of what they do. You're right. ⁓ and that's that is really, really so helpful 'cause that's another thing too of just You know, how can you help or what can you do? And it's like talk about space. Talk about talk about it. You know, figure out how it does. If you don't know that it affects you every day, learn that it does, and then teach other people too. Yeah. Because since there are only 10,000, you know, you're not gonna see every other person in an airport in a uniform or with a sweatshirt on. But you know, you're gonna see some, but eventually, you know, more and more it is fun. What you know, when I have occasionally seen, I'm like, you know, ⁓ my gosh, you know, you've got that's awesome. You've got a guardian shirt on or something. And it's like, well, yeah, my, you know, I'm a proud dad. My daughter's in, you know, in the Space Force. ⁓ super exciting. But there have been a couple where they were just like, no, I mean, they were just being supportive of a military service. And it's like, that's awesome. I mean, to get, you know, more and more people recognizing that, you know, we're here and Space Force, you know, is here to stay, and space is definitely not going anywhere. Absolutely. We've got them.

speaker-0: Big shout out to all the volunteers to your volunteers all over the country that are telling the Space Force story. Yep. Because you don't have a lot of Space Force bases ⁓ across the country. Right. And so yeah, dedicated volunteers, very excited. And every place they go, every place I go, people want to talk about space. So huge thanks to all of our volunteers out there. Yes. Let's talk about what spouse some of the key spouses are working on because I know there's some initiatives out there that that we want to talk about.

speaker-1: Yes. Spouses, I mean Space Force spouses are great and it seems as though, you know, when they see a problem, they just fix it. Yeah. You know, which again I think that's very similar, that's just like guardians do. There's a problem, we're gonna fix it. And Space Force spouses, you know, they do amazing things with, you know, a short amount of time and I you know, especially I'll just even highlight some front range spouses that saw a need on their base and were like, Well, I mean, we're gonna fix it. Mm-hmm and they did. So I'll ⁓ a couple of them. So up at Buckley, they develop they started a nonprofit to help basically they the Buckley Spouses Alliance they got together and said, you know, we are seeing a need with food insecurity. There are people that are struggling and we're gonna help And so within such a short amount of time, and so Brooke Wright and Rick Watson, ⁓ all this team, Danielle and Madison and Brittany and Colleen, they decided like, well, okay, we're gonna set up a food pantry. And so over ⁓ five thousand five hundred volunteer hours completely volunteer driven. So for in a twenty-four month period, they have had, you know, almost twenty five hundred people come through their doors. They, you know, the families that they've helped, almost eighty five hundred. Thirty-eight thousand pounds of food that ha they've distributed. Phenomenal. Incredible. And and they're they're getting donations and they're going out and you know These spouses just don't take no. They wait for a yes. And also, you know, with diapers and, you know, wipes and other toiletries that, you know, are needed for families. I you know, and they've just started perishables and ⁓ this you know, they just they're amazing when they, you know, get something and they they got together because they wanted and wanted the connection, but didn't really see in some spouses clubs and because spouses have changed a lot since I started because I mean I I more often than not, these are absolutely both working people. You know, I I did have the luxury and I and the choice to stay at home ⁓ with our kids, you know, back in the day, but also, you know, with rising costs and you know and and also just spouses, you know, male and female wanting to keep their careers too and wanting to do that. So it it looks different. So we have to kind of make sure that we're flexing with those differences. And those folks there, you know, just decided, hey, we don't really necessarily need to be a social club. We want to help people. Right. And and that's the other that's another thing about to me what guardian spirit means is, you know, we're all in this together. We are small, but we're very mighty. And And let's just help each other. That's right. I mean, because that's the only way we're gonna get through all of these things. And they also, you know, with their work ⁓ and the with their ⁓ with the center, I'm gonna get that right, ⁓ the peak at Peterson also kind of They decided, well, hey, we want to do that too. And so they kinda had a blueprint and they're like, this is how we started, this is what we did. And once again, I mean that crew too, I mean that, you know, up at Peterson, the peak, you know, Jen Clock and Shannon and Maria and Rachel and Michelle and Bailey and Amanda, they have just opened in September of twenty five and they've already distributed almost twenty three thousand pounds of food. Wow. I mean, ⁓ September of twenty twenty five, that's I mean, that's incredible. ⁓ you know, the amount of things that once again, they're just willing to say, hey, you know, we've gotta help each other. You know, we we've gotta help each other. So I I think that is one of the many skills that, you know, Space Force spouses bring. ⁓ they just they see problems and they figure out a way to fix

speaker-0: Just just a tremendous example of folks who just want to get involved here on the front range. Yep. The Buckley Spouses Alliance up in Denver, taking care of folks up there, and of course the Peak Food Pantry at Peterson Space Force Base right here in Colorado Springs. Just what a great story. Yeah. You know, I I can't thank you enough, Jennifer, for taking time out of your busy schedule to spend time with us here at the Space Force Association and talk about your story and all the support you do. And really the example you provide to all the other guardians out there who look up and say, hey, she's providing the perfect example of what the commitment, courage, character, connection that you demonstrate every single day through that guardian spirit. So thanks so much for taking time here.

speaker-1: I really appreciate your time and SFA. It's always, always a pleasure to see you. And again, that's another thing, you know, being in the service and you make lifelong friends and that you will never have anywhere else. You know, the close-net family community that you feel is just different. So I appreciate it and appreciate you having me. Thank you very much. Absolutely.

speaker-0: Semper supra. ⁓