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Congressional Research Service
Informing the legislative debate since 1914
Updated March 13, 2024
Defense Primer: The United States Space Force
The U.S. Space Force is the sixth branch of the Armed
Forces, established under the Department of the Air Force
(DAF) with the enactment of the FY2020 National Defense
Authorization Act ([NDAA], P.L. 116-92). According to
Title 10, Section 9081, of the U.S. Code, The Space Force
shall be organized, trained, and equipped to-(1) provide
freedom of operation for the United States in, from, and to
space; (2) conduct space operations; and (3) protect the
interests of the United States in space.
Why the Space Force Was Created
The U.S. military operates 246 satellites, according to the
Union of Concerned Scientists. This satellite fleet includes
constellations such as the Global Positioning System (GPS),
which is widely used by the public and the private sector.
For decades, U.S. spacecraft operated without threat of
attack by other nations.
The United States and Soviet Union tested anti-satellite
(ASAT) missiles in the 1980s. Largely because resulting
debris could harm spacecraft in orbit, the United States last
conducted such a test in 1985. China became the third
nation to test an ASAT weapon in 2007. The event was a
turning point, military commanders have said, as it revealed
the vulnerability created by U.S. reliance on satellites. After
2007, China and Russia continued to build their military
space capabilities. One decade later, advocates for a Space
Force in Congress and the Administration proposed
creating a service that could respond to increasing space,
cyberspace, and missile threats. They also sought to
streamline the process for making decisions about space
acquisition. The FY2020 NDAA established the service on
December 20, 2019.
Space Force Organization
The Chief of Space Operations (CSO) is the highest-
ranking uniformed space advisor reporting to the Secretary
of the Air Force. The Space Force and the U.S. Air Force
(USAF) are two separate and distinct military uniformed
services with the same civilian leader in the DAF. The
structure is similar to how the Chief of Naval Operations
and the Marine Corps report to the Secretary of the Navy.
The CSO is General Chance Saltzman.
The Office of the CSO and the Space Force Headquarters
are located at the Pentagon. The Space Force has a
command structure with three levels. At the top of the
hierarchy, three-star generals lead mission-focused field
commands. The Space Force's three field commands are
Space Operations Command (SpOC), Space Training and
Readiness Command (STARCOM), and Space Systems
Command (SSC). SpOC, based at Peterson Space Force
Base (SFB) in Colorado Springs, CO, provides space forces
to combatant commands. STARCOM prepares space forces
for operations. The DAF has selected Patrick SFB in
Florida as STARCOM's headquarters. SSC, based at Los
Angeles Air Force Base, handles acquisition. On February
12, 2024, Saltzman announced the Space Force's intent to
stand up a fourth field command, Space Futures Command,
to forecast threats, test concepts based on those forecasts,
and design missions.
Figure I. U.S. Space Force Within the Department of
the Air Force
Source: Adapted from U.S. Space Force Headquarters Air Force -
April 19, 2022 (spaceforce.mil).
Underneath field commands, colonels lead units called
deltas. Lieutenant colonels lead still-smaller Space Force
squadrons. The Space Force assigns space professionals,
known as Guardians, to U.S. Space Command and the
Department of Defense's (DOD's) 10 other unified
combatant commands, each of which has a geographic or
functional mission. Career tracks for Space Force
Guardians include engineering, intelligence, leadership,
logistics, and technology.
The Space Force manages space launch operations on the
East Coast at Patrick SFB in Florida and on the West Coast
at Vandenberg SFB in California. The service develops,
defends, and operates cybersecurity networks, as well as
satellites that provide secure communications, weather and
navigational information, and missile warning. The service
uses space surveillance sensors to track satellites and space
debris for its own use and distributes much of that
information publicly. The Space Force mission is to defend
U.S. satellites from hostile attacks and conduct offensive
counterspace operations to degrade an adversary's ability to
conduct space-based attacks.
G reat Power Competition
During the Air Force Association's Air and Space Warfare
Symposium in February 2024, Air Force Secretary Frank
Kendall directed the Air Force and Space Force to
Reoptimize for Great Power Competition with a](ViewImageLocal?handle=hein.crs/goveopl0001&div=1&collection=&method=preview&ext=.png&size=3)
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