Mission

Protects America and our Allies in, from, and to space… now and into the future

Generates and presents combat-ready intelligence, cyber, space and combat support forces.

Vision

America’s Space Warfighters—Always Ready, Always Innovative, Always Above

Priorities

Generate and Improve Combat-Ready Space Forces

Combat readiness is non-negotiable for any credible integrated deterrence strategy. We will remain aligned with the CSO’s organizing premise: the USSF must maintain a “competitive endurance” to ensure our nation’s ability to achieve space superiority while also guarding against our adversaries’ hostile use of space capabilities.

Source and Provide Combat-Ready Forces for Service and Combatant Command Missions

We must provide tailored, combat-credible USSF force elements to meet the Joint and Combined Force’s increasing demand for space capabilities. On behalf of the SecAF and the CSO and in coordination with other commands, agencies, and partners, we will develop and recommend prioritized sourcing solutions to both emergent and established Combined, Joint and/or Service mission needs, while balancing current and future readiness requirements and risk.

Advocate for Combat-Ready Spacepower from the Future Force to the Fielded Force

The SecAF and CSO have identified Space Futures Command-led “force design” as the primary mechanism by which the USSF conceptualizes the force we need to meet our strategic priorities and stay ahead of our strategic rivals in the future. Force design and resourcing recommendations must be fully burdened to incorporate combat mission requirements to include, but not limited to: new operating concepts, as well as requirements for manpower, command and control, intelligence, networks, cyber defense, test and training infrastructure, sustainment, and facilities.

Improve Family Readiness as a Combat Force Multiplier

The need to improve family readiness as a combat force multiplier arises from several critical challenges facing our Guardians and Airmen. The SecAF and CSO have emphasized that the readiness of our service members is intrinsically linked to the wellbeing and resilience of their families, recognizing that strong family support is essential for maintaining operational effectiveness and meeting the demands of our service.

Background

On December 20, 2019, the President signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2020, establishing the U.S. Space Force (USSF) as a new Armed Service within the Department of the Air Force (DAF). Subsequently, the Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF) re-designated Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) as USSF, re-designated 14th Air Force as the Space Operations Command (SpOC), and reassigned all personnel previously assigned to AFSPC to the USSF by virtue of these re-designations. These initial actions provided immediate structure for the USSF but were not intended to reflect the end-state of the new branch of Service. Macro-organizational design is still in progress to ensure the Service is aligned with the President of the United States’ vision as articulated in Space Policy Directive-4 and the Chief of Space Operations’ vision of a light, lean, and agile force. In February 2020 the DAF delivered its report to Congress on its Comprehensive Plan for the Organizational Structure of the U.S. Space Force. The report stated “Experts will continue to develop the overall field-level organizational design of the Space Force, culminating with SECAF decision on the future structure of Space Force Field Commands (FIELDCOMs) and operational units by May 1, 2020.”

In keeping with the USSF’s guiding principles of reducing bureaucracy by minimizing hierarchical layers and driving increased warfighter integration – and per previous the announcement of the USSF field command structure – the Department of the Air Force and the U.S. Space Force made organizational re-designations that will properly align responsibilities to the commander responsible for executing that function.

Effective October 21, 2020, SECAF re-designated the former AFSPC staff organization at Peterson AFB as the HQ SpOC. This re-designation aligned the Field Command responsibility for organizing, training, equipping, and presenting USSF forces to the staff and commander responsible for executing this mission.

On August 13, 2021, Space Launch Delta 30 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California and Space Launch Delta 45 at Patrick Space Force Base, California, were realigned from Space Operations Command to Space Systems Command.