Space Force, the sixth and newest branch of the United States Armed Forces, officially has a theme song. The song is called “Semper Supra” and debuted this morning at the 2022 Air, Space & Cyber Conference in Maryland.
We’re of course not talking about the cancelled Netflix series, but the youngest member of the United States Armed Forces, which was established in 2019 when the National Defence Authorization Act was signed into law — as an independent body formerly part of the Air Force. Since then, Space Force has been going through the motions of branding itself, like revealing its official uniform logos, and now an official theme song. The song is called “Semper Supra,” which is Latin for “always above,” and debuted at the 2022 Air, Space and Cyber Conference in National Harbour, Maryland today.
The lyrics, as heard here in a video posted to Twitter by Defence News reporter Stephen Losey, read:
We’re the mighty watchful eye,
Guardians beyond the blue,
The invisible front line,
Warfighters brave and true.
Boldly reaching into space,
There’s no limit to our sky.
Standing guard both night and day,
We’re the Space Force from on high.
I guess I’ll be the one to say it: It’s a tad dystopic. The chorus of vocals singing of a “mighty watchful eye” and an “invisible front line” feels like the indoctrination chant of a post-apocalyptic society from a 1980’s sci-fi movie. James Teachenor, a former member of the U.S. Air Force Band, and Chief of Space Operations General John “Jay” Raymond began writing the lyrics, melody, and composition of the song in 2019.
“The song was a long work in progress because I wanted it to encompass all the capabilities that the Space Force offers and its vision,” said Teachenor in an Air Force press release. “Our traditions are part of the fabric that weave us all together as we execute our missions side-by-side; I will be proud to sing ‘Semper Supra’ alongside my fellow Guardians,” Raymond said.
For what it’s worth, the song is very on brand with other Armed Forces tunes like The Army Goes Rolling Along and The Marines’ Hymn. These all feels cut from the cloth of a Fourth of July Celebration during the 50’s, and “Semper Supra” too is a song seemingly inspired by America’s heyday.