DENVER (AP) — When 1st Lt. Kelley McCaa found out she would be part of the American military's first all-female space operations crew, alongside a team of women she considers close friends, she knew it would make a bold statement for the newly-formed U.S. Space Force.

McCaa's squadron, based at Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, operates one of the approximately 30 GPS satellites used by more than 5 billion people around the world.

"Growing up, you don't see too many women in STEM or women in recruiter videos for the military or science or physics," McCaa said. "So, for me, I'm hopi...