Jan
5
U.S. Space Force Officially Launches
“President Trump is taking action to ensure that the American military is equipped to protect our Nation and preserve our freedom to operate in, from, and to space.” — White House press release
As you are likely aware, the current administration has been seeking to revitalize the American space program, taking its inspiration from JFK. President Trump signed two space policy directives — one (Dec. 2017) to resume manned missions to the Moon and eventually to Mars, the other (May 2018) for “updating and refocusing” relevant policies to promote innovation and modernize American commercial space policy. Trump took the next step on the NASA front in May 2019, amending his budget to include an additional $1.6 billion for space exploration.
Probably even more controversial, however, has been the administration’s push to create a sixth branch of the U.S. Armed Services. Some of you may remember that I wrote in mid-2017 about the possibility of a U.S. Space Corps, while noting resistance to the idea among high-ranking military leaders (e.g., then-Secretary of Defense James Mattis). The White House officially announced the formation of a (slightly re-named) U.S. Space Force in late 2018, with Vice President Pence overseeing the effort and driving it forward. Pence noted in a March 2019 op-ed:
“As the Defense Intelligence Agency detailed in a recent report, China and Russia are aggressively developing and deploying capabilities — including anti-satellite weapons, airborne lasers, menacing ‘on-orbit’ capabilities and evasive hypersonic missiles — that have transformed space into a war-fighting domain.
At the president’s direction, the defense secretary is already establishing a unified combatant command for space that will centralize the command-and-control structure for space war-fighting. It will also develop and implement the unique strategy, doctrine, tactics, techniques and procedures our armed forces need to deter and defeat a new generation of threats in space.”
The “unified combatant command for space” that Pence mentioned is the U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM), currently operating out of Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, though the DoD is considering relocating it. As of Aug. 29, 2019, SPACECOM is led by Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, formerly Commander, Air Force Space Command at Peterson AFB.
As of the president’s signing of the fiscal 2020 National Defense Authorization Act on Dec. 20, 2019, the U.S. Space Force (USSF) has also officially been established. Though headquartered at the Pentagon, its base of operations — Space Operations Command (aka SPOC) — is Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. This means that Vandenberg’s 14th Air Force has been officially transitioned from Air Force Space Command to the U.S. Space Force. SPOC’s new commander is Maj. Gen. John E. Shaw, who also serves as SPACECOM’s Combined Force Space Component Commander. As for SPACECOM’s Gen. Raymond, as the first Chief of Space Operations (CSO) he will serve as the principal uniformed adviser to the Secretary of the Air Force (currently Barbara M. Barrett) on Space Force activities and sit in on meetings of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The plan is to upgrade the CSO to full member status of the Joint Chiefs in December 2020.
In addition to handling most of the old 14th Air Force’s duties, the new branch’s responsibilities include “space domain awareness, space electronic warfare, satellite communications, missile warning, nuclear detonation detection, environmental monitoring, military intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), navigation warfare, and positioning, navigation and timing” on behalf of the Space Force (USSF), Space Command (USSPACECOM), and other combatant commands.”
Various Air Force units and bases are in the process of being evaluated for possible transitions to the space mission. Meanwhile, approximately 16,000 active-duty and civilian personnel have been reassigned from the now-defunct Air Force Space Command to the Space Force. More airmen will be transferred to the USSF over the next 18 months, and soldiers, sailors, and marines who support space operations may put in for an interservice transfer. (No new hires for now, as per congressional mandate.)
There is still a lot of planning and reorganization needed before the dust settles, and Congress only authorized $40 million to get the new armed service established. (The Trump administration had requested $72 million.) But, this is an exciting time, and I hope it turns out to have been a wise decision by the Trump administration.
