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1 [1] (December 23, 2024)

handle is hein.crs/goveuda0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Defense Primer: U.S. Space Force Updated April 17, 2026 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 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY2020 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. Since the creation of the Space Force, space has become an increasingly important domain for the United States-as well as for adversaries with growing space capabilities. In 2025, President Donald Trump issued executive orders to create a space-intensive initiative known as Golden Dome and to ensure American Space Superiority. Space Force officials are reportedly considering doubling the size of the force. Congress will play a role in deciding whether or not to fund these initiatives, and in overseeing their progress. hy the Space Force as Created Since the 1980s, U.S. policymakers have become increasingly concerned about potential adversaries operating in the space domain. The United States and Soviet Union tested anti-satellite (ASAT) missiles in the 1980s. The United States last conducted such a test in 1985, citing the harm resulting debris could cause to spacecraft in orbit. The People's Republic of China (PRC, or China) in 2007 became the third country to test an ASAT weapon. Military commanders reportedly have said the PRC test was a turning point, as it exposed a potential vulnerability of U.S. reliance on satellites. After 2007, China and Russia continued to develop military space capabilities. A decade later, some Members of Congress and the first Trump Administration proposed a distinct military service devoted to countering space, cyber space, and missile threats. The FY2020 NDAA authorized the establishment of the service on December 20, 2019. Space Force Mission and Functions The Space Force's mission is to secure our Nation's interests in, from, and to space. The mission statement refers to each of the service's core functions: * In space. Protecting the joint force and nation from space and counterspace threats to achieve space superiority (the condition under which forces can operate without prohibitive interference while denying adversaries space control). * From space. Delivering global mission operations like satellite communications; positioning, navigation, and timing; and missile warning. * To space. Providing assured space access through the service's launch, range, and control network infrastructure. In addition to these core functions, Space Force carries out four cross-cutting enterprise functions: intelligence, cyberspace operations, command and control, and space domain awareness (detecting, characterizing, attributing, predicting, and targeting objects and activities in space). Space Force Organization The U.S. Space Force and the U.S. Air Force are two separate and distinct military uniformed services with the same civilian leader in the DAF (see Figure 1). The Chief of Space Operations (CSO) is the highest-ranking uniformed space advisor and reports to the civilian Secretary of the Air Force. The current CSO, General Chance B. Saltzman, was appointed in November 2022. The Office of the CSO and the Space Force Headquarters are located at the Pentagon. The Space Force organizes, trains, and equips space force personnel, called Guardians, to support unified combatant commands such as U.S. Space Command. Figure I. U.S. Space Force Within the Department of the Air Force Source: Adapted from U.S. Space Force Headquarters Air Force - April I9, 2022 (spaceforce.mil), https://www.ussf-cfc.spaceforce.mil/ About-Us/About-Combat-Forces-Command. The CSO oversees a three-level command structure. Two- or three-star generals lead three mission-focused field commands. Colonels lead units called deltas that are subordinate to field commands. Lieutenant colonels or majors lead smaller Space Force squadrons. The Space Force's three field commands are Combat Forces Command (CFC), previously Space Operations Command (SpOC); Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM); and Space Systems Command (SSC). CFC develops tactics, techniques, procedures, and force-generation models, among other roles. CFC is based at Peterson Space Force Base (SFB) in Colorado. STARCOM prepares and trains Guardians at Patrick SFB in