Space Operations Command Getting New Name, New Boss

SpOC is getting booted from the Space Force. The service is renaming its Space Operations Command, with its Star Trek-themed acronym, to Combat Forces Command to emphasize its warfighting mission. 

Air & Space Forces Magazine has confirmed the pending name change after it was revealed among a list of new general officer assignments announced by the Pentagon on Sept. 5. Among the nominations:  

Lt. Gen. David N. Miller Jr., now head of Space Operations Command, is nominated to become deputy chief of space operations for strategy, plans, programs, and requirements in Washington. He would replace Gen. Shawn W. Bratton, already confirmed as Vice Chief of Space Operations. 
Maj. Gen. Gregory J. Gagnon, currently Special Assistant to the Chief of Space Operations, is nominated for a third star to replace Miller, but the announcement said he would take command of “U.S. Space Force Combat Forces Command.” 
Lt. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess, now commander of Space Forces-Space, is nominated to become deputy chief of space operations for operations, succeeding Lt. Gen. DeAnna M. Burt, who is retiring.

A Space Force spokesperson confirmed that Combat Forces Command is the planned new name for Space Operations Command. The formal name change is not expected until Gagnon is confirmed, however, and would be implemented when he takes command of the organization. 

“The U.S. Space Force is considering redesignating Space Operations Command to Combat Forces Command upon the establishment of a new commander, which is currently pending formal approval and confirmation,” the spokesperson said. “The name change better reflects the Field Command’s critical responsibility as the Space Force’s proponent for combat space power, including generating and improving combat-ready forces to execute Service and Combatant Command assigned missions.” 

The change also draws a clearer distinction between the U.S. Space Force, a military service, and U.S. Space Command, the combatant command responsible for combat operations. Space Operations Command initially served as both a field command for the Space Force and the service component to Space Command, providing it with most of its forces, but USSF instituted Space Forces-Space in 2023 as the component command presenting forces to SPACECOM.  

Changing SpOC to Combat Forces Command dovetails with Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman’s strategy, and the three lines of effort he laid out for the service, among them fielding combat-ready forces.

If confirmed, Miller and Schiess will represent a new wave of leadership, taking two of the top roles on the Space Staff.

Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Steven P. Whitney, currently director of the Space Staff, has been tapped for a third star and assignment to the Joint Staff as director of force structure, resources, and assessment, the J8. That represents a key prominent joint assignment for the Space Force.  

Also in the joint world, Navy Vice Adm. Richard A. Correll was nominated to head U.S. Strategic Command, replacing Air Force Gen. Anthony J. Cotton, who will retire. Leadership of STRATCOM, the combatant command that oversees U.S. nuclear forces, traditionally alternates between Air Force and Navy officers.