United States Space Command

Not to be confused with the United States Space Force.

United States Space Command
Seal of the United States Space Command
Active23 September 1985 – 1 October 2002 (16 years, 10 months)[1]
(First incarnation)

29 August 2019 – present (5 years, 2 months)
(Second incarnation)

Country United States
TypeUnified combatant command
RoleSpace command
Part ofDepartment of Defense
HeadquartersPeterson Space Force Base, Colorado, U.S.[2]
March“Space Command March”[3]
Decorations
Websitewww.spacecom.mil
Commanders
Commander Gen Stephen Whiting, USSF
Deputy Commander LTG Thomas L. James, USA
Command Senior Enlisted LeaderCMSgt Jacob C. Simmons, USSF[5]
Insignia
Flag

United States Space Command (USSPACECOM or SPACECOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Department of Defense, responsible for military operations in outer space, specifically all operations 100 kilometers (62 miles) and greater above mean sea level. U.S. Space Command is responsible for the operational employment of space forces that are provided by the uniformed services of the Department of Defense.[6]

Space Command was originally created in September 1985 to provide joint command and control for all military forces in outer space and coordinate with the other combatant commands. SPACECOM was disestablished in 2002, and its responsibilities and forces were merged into United States Strategic Command.[7] It was reestablished on 29 August 2019, with a reemphasized focus on space as a warfighting domain.

The U.S. Space Force is the military service responsible for organizing, training, and equipping the majority of forces for U.S. Space Command, which also includes a smaller number of forces from each of the other branches of the U.S. Armed Forces.

  1. ^ "Air Force Magazine". Air Force Association. 21 December 2006 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference factsheet was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ U.S. Air Force Academy, Band (27 August 2009). "Space Command March". Spotify. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  4. ^ "Approved JMUAs - 2020 09 30" (PDF). prhome.defense.gov.
  5. ^ "CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT JACOB C. SIMMONS". United States Space Command. 7 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions". United States Space Command.
  7. ^ Handberg, Roger (2000). Seeking New World Vistas: The Militarization of Space. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 109. ISBN 0-275-96295-4.