Kennewick representative wants to bring Space Force Academy to Washington state

January 17, 2020 2:00 PM

Erin Robinson,

Posted: January 17, 2020 2:00 PM

Updated: January 21, 2020 10:12 AM

by Erin Robinson

Representative Matt Boehnke on the house floor. — Credit: Washington House Republicans

KENNEWICK, Wash. – Could Washington state be home to the United States Space Academy?

A representative from Kennewick is asking his fellow state lawmakers to pass a memorial asking Congress to consider just that.

There are no set plans for the development of a U.S. Space Academy and, in the meantime, the Space Force will get its officers from the U.S. Air Force Academy.

In his proposal, Rep. Matt Boehnke’s (R-Kennewick) suggests developing an academy in Washington state that would train and equip Americans joining the Space Force.

The Space Force was inaugurated as a separate branch of the U.S. military in December 2019.

Boehnke’s memorial states that Washington is the perfect place for a potential Space Force Academy, noting that there is no U.S. Military service academy west of the Rocky Mountains.

“Washington state is a world leader in aerospace, advanced manufacturing, health sciences research, and cloud computing, and is home to incredible companies offering commercial solutions for the new space sector,” Boehnke writes in his memorial.

Boehnke says the Evergreen state also offers an entrepreneurial climate for all space ventures with a proven track record of growing emerging technology companies to scale.

“Washington state is ready and eager to support the creation of a federally funded stand-alone institution of higher education dedicated to space-focused research and equipping students with the academic and leadership skills to bring the best in human ingenuity and ethical conduct into the area beyond earth’s orbit,” says Boehnke.