Responses
Firstly anyone still interested in the Seperation of Services should visit the following link (Which by the way, was a pain in the butt to locate but was worth it in the end).
http://www.uhuh.com/laws/donncoll/eo/1947/EO9877.TXT
Carefully reading of that document explains the seperation between the Naval and the Air Force aviation divisions.
Before I translate that better into Wing Commander terms let me say two things:
First this is all theoretical, as I believe this entire debate is since we will probably never know the true answer. It's one take on the situation based on the evidence I've seen.
Second I am well aware that a Global Union is formed on Earth and the United States is not necessarily the leader. I am ware the this Executive Order is American in origin. I didn't pick it because it was American, I picked it because it's the closet thing I can find to support the reason there is a seperate Space Force in Wing Commander.
This is how I think it would lay out in the Terran Confederation:
Executive Order 9877 said:
Functions of the Terran Confederation Navy
General
The Terran Confederation Navy includes naval combat and ship service forces. It exists and is equipped primarily for forces in Space. The Navy is responsible for the preparation of naval forces need to provide a response in a time of war and in a time of peace.
The specific functions follow:
1. To organize, train and equip naval forces for:
a. Operations in space, including joint operations.
b. The control of vital space regions, the protection of jump transition points, and the suppresion of enemy naval forces.
c. The support of occupation forces as required.
d. The seizure of minor enemy shore positions capable of reduction by such landing forces as may be comprised within the fleet organization.
e. Naval reconnaissance, Naval intelligence, and protection of shipping.
f. The air transport necessary for essential internal administration and for air transport over routes of sole interest to naval forces where the requirements cannot be met by normal air transport facilities.
2. To develop weapons, tactics, technique, organization and equipment of naval combat and service elements, coordinating
with the other services in all aspects of joint concern, including those which pertain to amphibious operations.
3. To provide, as directed by proper authority, such missions and detachments for service in foreign countries as may
be required to support the national policies and interests of the United States.
4. To assist the other branches in the accomplishment of their missions, including the provision of common services and supplies as determined by proper authority.
Functions of the United States Air Force
General
The Terran Confederation Space Forces includes all military aviation forces,oth combat and service. It is organized, trained, and equipped primarily for prompt and sustained air offensive and defensive operations. The Space Forces is responsible for the preparation of the air forces necessary for the effective prosecution of war except as otherwise assigned.
The specific functions of the United States Air Force are:
1. To organize, train and equip air forces for:
a. Air/Space operations including joint operations.
b. Gaining and maintaining general air supremacy.
c. Establishing local air superiority where and as required.
d. The strategic air/space forces of the Terran Confederation and strategic air reconnaissance.
e. Air/Space lift and support for airborne operations.
f. Air/Space support to land forces and naval forces, including support of occupation forces.
g. Air/Space transport for the armed forces, except as provided by the Navy.
2. To develop weapons, tactics, technique, organization and equipment of Space Forces combat and service elements, coordinating with the other services on all aspects of joint concern, including those which pertain to amphibious and airborne operations.
3. To provide the means for coordination of air defense among all services.
4. To assist the other services in accomplishment of their missions, including the provision of common services and supplies as determined by proper authority.
To expound upon that a bit (I apologize if it's hard to read) there are a few points which seperate the Space Forces from the Naval Forces.
1) Strategic Bombing
This fall under the Space Forces category, and refers specifically to the destruction of military assets and military production assets that will hamper the war on the larger scale.
2) The control of vital space regions, the protection of jump transition points, and the suppresion of enemy naval forces.
Clearly this is not something that could be assigned to the Space Forces, though, they might play a large part in it.
To sum up the argument effectivly:
The Naval Forces need to be mobile and able to operate independently. This provides a larger problem in Space (then in, say, WWII for example, where we had islands to operate from). Each ship must itself contain all the goods it needs operate effictivly, including weapons. It's charger primarily with controlling space, and defending key points, and assiting with landings (something the Space Forces would likely be charged with as well).
The Space Forces serve more as a stationary force. If you think of a ship (or a fleet) like a planet, then it really starts to make sense. The Fleet is charged with destroying the enemy ships, and the fighters are there to defend it, just like they would a planet. They might use the fighters to that end, to help destroy the ship, but the primary role of the fighters is defense and strategic strikes. Because they lack the longer range they must embark on carriers to preform strategic bombing (this is only an issue in space).
I should add also:
In the US Military it is true that Naval Wings are rotated around, but you will never hear of a Naval Wing being assigned to a Naval Base for the Air Defense of the United States. This is because the primary mission of the Navy is NOT to operate on land, or near land in it's defense. The Space Forces in Wing Commander have reserve units (We see this in WC3 and WC4, and in Fleet Action) identical to the Wings on the carriers (they trade ships and pilots freqently). The Space Forces duty, when assigned to a base, is to operate from it in it's defense and in an attack role if that should be required. Not true with Naval Wings assigned to Naval Bases. Now, it is true that the US operates P-3 Orion squadrons in defense of the US, but if you read the link about the roles of the services you will note that the Navy's mission includes anti-submarine and anti-shipping capabilites.
Also, in regards to the "jointness" of the US Military service, Friction has existed between those units since their inception, and it's doubtful it will ever go away. It is WRONG to look 20 years in the past and say that in the last 20 years things have changed. You have to start at the beginning: and that would be the birth of Carrier Aviation. That was when the problems started, 60 years ago, not 20. It's true that great strides have been made in the last 20 years, but Navy men (and women now, I'm not a sexist pig) are nothing if not traditional, and tradition for nearly 60 years has been at odds with the other services. It is true also that the Navy has allowed Marine Squadrons to operate off of it's carriers: I stress that this is my opinion, based on someone elses information that I read but from what I gleen this is more due to the fact that our carriers are designed to operate with 90-100 aircraft on board, and instead have to sortie with less then 60 because of defense cutbacks. Allowing Marine squadrons on board beefs up the air power of a carrier, and what's a carrier without air power?
I apologize for the long post. =P
[Edit]
I forgot to mention: about a year after it was signed, Executive Order 9877 was overturned by Executive Order 9950. I have no idea what 9950 says, it took me an hour and three phone calls to a friend at a Senators office to find the text to 9877. Similar searches for 9950 proved useless. Still, I think that 9877 stands well on it's own, even with this fact in mind, and still proves the point I was trying to make.