Schiess Sworn in as New Space Force Chief: ‘We Must Grow with Intention’

JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md.—Gen. Douglas A. Schiess assumed leadership of the Space Force on Sept. 3, succeeding Gen. B. Chance Saltzman as Chief of Space Operations during a change of responsibility ceremony here. 

Schiess is just the third CSO in the Space Force’s history since the service was created in 2019. In his first address to Guardians, he emphasized the important role space has come to play in modern military operations—and the growing threats it attracts from adversaries intent on targeting space assets in orbit and on the ground.

“Every day, our potential adversaries advance their efforts to disrupt, degrade, and destroy our space capabilities, and they try to add to their own capacity to exploit space to their advantage,” Schiess said. “We cannot, we will not let that happen.”

A career space operator, Schiess has performed a number of missions in his career including missile warning, GPS, command and control, and launch. In 2023, he became the first commander of U.S. Space Forces-Space, USSF’s component to the U.S. Space Command combatant command. Most recently, he served as deputy CSO for operations, developing and implementing the policies that guide Space Force operations around the world. 

That experience, he said, will inform the way he leads Guardians trained “to operate in the cold, dark vacuum of space” from operations centers on the ground that are also under threat—as evidenced in ongoing operations in the Middle East, where Iran has targeted ground-based space and missile defense infrastructure.

“Our Guardians operate from the ground, some in harm’s way—some in harm’s way today—and they require battlefield skills and the warrior mentality as much as our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guardsmen in our sister services,” he said.

Schiess’ emphasis on the growing threats and the warfighting contributions of Guardians continue themes that his predecessor, Saltzman, repeated often throughout his tenure.

Over the past four years, Saltzman helped grow the Space Force from 8,000 uniformed Guardians to 10,000—and he has positioned the force for even more expansion in the coming years. The service is on a path to double in size to 20,000 Guardians over the next five years, and its $71 billion budget request for fiscal 2027 is more than twice what USSF requested last year, as demand increases for space capabilities. 

Speaking during the ceremony, Saltzman said he’s proud of the progress the Space Force has made, evidenced in recent months by its delivery of “critical effects” during multiple operations.

“We delivered critical effects on time and on target under fire, and we sustained that effort,” Saltzman said. “When called to action, the U.S. Space Force was ready, combat capable, and mission effective, and that about says it all.”

Saltzman praised Schiess’ leadership, operational experience, and genuine concern for Guardians, their families, and the joint and allied partners they serve alongside. 

“He knows how to build teams, how to drive performance, and how to coax bureaucracies into mission success,” Saltzman said. “He has the expertise to make wise decisions. . . . He cares deeply for the people that do the work.”

In his first message to the force, issued shortly after his swearing in, Schiess harkened back to the Space Force’s early days and looked ahead to the future, calling on Guardians to “capitalize on our foundation and evolve to meet the demands of a new era.”

“As we drive our deliberate growth and execution, we will arm our Guardians to acquire, field, operate, and exploit the full spectrum of capabilities required to secure decisive space superiority,” he said. “Integrating into the Joint Force demands a rapid scaling of both our manpower and space capabilities. We must grow with intention, leveraging our industry partnerships to advance our weapon systems and the way we fight.”

Along with Schiess’ ascension to the service chief job this week, the Department of the Air Force also welcomed its assistant secretary for space acquisition and integration, Erich Hernandez-Baquero, who was sworn in at the Pentagon on Aug. 31. Hernandez-Baquero, who will oversee a growing space acquisition portfolio, fills a position that has been vacant since January 2025, though several officials have served in an acting capacity.