The U.S. Space Force has activated a special operations headquarters, according to an internal memo reviewed by Axios. The move further integrates the youngest U.S. military branch into high-level missions.
Activated recently
The Space Force Special Operations headquarters was activated as a component field command on 7 October, Axios reported. A Space Force official confirmed that the memo is authentic. The service has previously said that component field commands integrate space activities into shared operations, activities and investments.
Space already in the front line
The new command follows a series of operations in which space capabilities played a visible role. In January, Joint Chiefs Chairman Dan Caine said space assets paved the way for helicopters to land during the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, according to Defense One.
In March, Caine said space forces were the first movers at the start of Operation Epic Fury. By his account, they disrupted Iran’s ability to see, communicate and respond through means such as jamming and electromagnetic warfare.
The latest in a series of component commands
The special operations headquarters follows the creation of Space Force component field commands tied to the Middle Eastern, European, African and Pacific theatres. U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida. It was not immediately clear where the Space Force’s new component command will be based.
An expert view: another milestone
Charles Galbreath, a senior fellow at the Mitchell Institute think tank and a former Space Force officer, described the SOCOM component as another major milestone in the service’s growth.
What comes next
Space Force chief of space operations Gen. Douglass Schiess said in a LinkedIn comment that a stand-up ceremony would follow in a few weeks. The exact date, the command’s size and its leadership had not been disclosed in the reporting.
Source: Axios
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