TO THE HONORABLE DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO THE SECRETARY OF THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, AND TO THE SECRETARY OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE:

We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

WHEREAS, The United States Coast Guard Academy is in Connecticut, the United States Naval Academy is in Maryland, the Air Force Academy is in Colorado, and the United States Military Academy is in New York, and there is no United States military service academy west of the Rocky Mountains and no military service academy for the proposed sixth branch of the United States Armed Forces; and

WHEREAS, 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; and

WHEREAS, Washington state offers an entrepreneurial climate for all space ventures with a proven track record of growing emerging technology companies to scale, and is also in need of expanded workforce education and higher education capacity in science, technology, math, and engineering; and

WHEREAS, Washington state military installations are the second largest public employer in Washington, employing over 112,000 active duty, reserve, guard, and civilian personnel; and

WHEREAS, Washington state is home to over 607,000 veterans and nearly 91,000 military families who are a source of pride to all of our residents; and

WHEREAS, Washington's military and defense community supports over thirteen billion dollars in annual procurement supported by over 1,900 businesses across the state, representing over three percent of the state's gross domestic product; and

WHEREAS, The President of the United States has proposed to establish a United States Space Force as a separate branch of the Armed Forces within the Department of the Air Force in furtherance of fundamental United States economic and national security interests, and directed the Secretary of Defense to submit to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget a proposed budget for the United States Space Force to be included in the President's Fiscal Year 2020 Budget Request; and

WHEREAS, Washington state lawmakers recognize and embrace a competition with any of its fellow states for the opportunity and privilege to host any facilities and personnel that support the mission of that new branch of service; and

WHEREAS, 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;

NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully pray that you consider establishing within Washington state a United States Space Academy to train and equip an American workforce for the civilian opportunities and military missions of the future in space.

BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, the Secretary of the United States Department of Defense, the Secretary of the United States Air Force, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.