Tango Alpha Lima welcomes Space Force guardian

This week's Tango Alpha Lima podcast is so entertaining you’ll want to listen to or watch it all night long. Say hello to the guest you’ve been looking for, Erika Teichert, who transferred to Space Force earlier this year from the Marine Corps.  

“The Space Force is absolutely essential to the joint fight,” Teichert said. “China and Russia have both grown their space capabilities recently. China’s rise in that domain has been — to use a pun — astronomically fast. It’s not just what we provide to the joint force, but also to protect and defend our capabilities. If you take out those capabilities, it starts to hurt the joint force.”

Teichert, whose husband is a Marine, comes from a family with a long military history. Her dad was an Army artillery officer during Vietnam, and she had a stepdad and uncle who both served in the Air Force. Teichert, of course, is the first family member to join Space Force, which came into existence in December 2019.

“The Space Force protects and defends our nation’s satellites,” she explained, citing smartphones as an example. “Anytime you use GPS, you are using satellite technology that is protected by Space Force.”

Other examples of what Space Force’s reach includes protecting the satellite communications that passengers use when accessing the WiFi on an airplane.

This episode is among more than 120 Tango Alpha Lima podcast for veterans, servicemembers and others. All episodes are available in both audio and video formats here. You can also download episodes on iTunes, Stitcher or other major podcast-hosting sites. The video version is available for viewing at the Legion’s YouTube channel.