The commander of Space Operations Command is a lieutenant general who leads the field command that provide space forces to the United States Space Command and supports other unified combatant commands. A senior leader in the Space Force, it is only one of three field commanders and, of which, only one of two held by a lieutenant general.
Space Operations Command (SpOC) was established by redesignating the Air Force Space Command as Space Operations Command, which was redesignated prior as Headquarters, United States Space Force to serve in transitional capacity as the new service's headquarters. The commander of SpOC, thus, can be traced back to 1 September 1982, when General James V. Hartinger served as the first commander of Space Command.1
Like any other three-star officer position in the U.S. Armed Forces, the commander of SpOC is nominated by the president of the United States and must be confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
List of commanders
| Commander of U.S. Space Force Combat Forces Command | |
|---|---|
 Flag of a Space Force lieutenant general | |
 | |
| United States Space Force | |
| Reports to | Chief of Space Operations |
| Seat | Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, U.S. |
| Precursor | Commander, United States Space Force |
| Formation | 1 September 1982 |
| First holder | James V. Hartinger |
| Deputy | Vice Commander, Space Operations Command |
| No. | Commander21 | Term | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Duration | |
| Space Command | |||||
| 1 |  | General James V. Hartinger (1925–2000) | 1 September 1982 | 20 July 1984 | 1 year, 323 days |
| 2 |  | General Robert T. Herres (1932–2008) | 30 July 1984 | 15 November 1985 | 1 year, 118 days |
| Air Force Space Command | |||||
| 1 | | General Robert T. Herres (1932–2008) | 15 November 1985 | 1 October 1986 | 320 days |
| 2 |  | Major General Maurice C. Padden (1931–2015) | 1 October 1986 | 29 October 1987 | 1 year, 28 days |
| 3 |  | Lieutenant General Donald J. Kutyna (born 1933) | 29 October 1987 | 29 March 1990 | 2 years, 151 days |
| 4 |  | Lieutenant General Thomas S. Moorman Jr. (1940–2020) | 29 March 1990 | 23 March 1992 | 1 year, 360 days |
| 5 |  | General Donald J. Kutyna (born 1933) | 23 March 1992 | 30 June 1992 | 99 days |
| 6 |  | General Chuck Horner (born 1936) | 30 June 1992 | 13 September 1994 | 2 years, 106 days |
| 7 |  | General Joseph W. Ashy (born 1940) | 13 September 1994 | 26 August 1996 | 1 year, 348 days |
| 8 |  | General Howell M. Estes III (1941–2024) | 26 August 1996 | 14 August 1998 | 1 year, 353 days |
| 9 |  | General Richard Myers (born 1942) | 14 August 1998 | 22 February 2000 | 1 year, 192 days |
| 10 |  | General Ralph Eberhart (born 1946) | 22 February 2000 | 19 April 2002 | 2 years, 56 days |
| 11 |  | General Lance W. Lord (born 1946) | 19 April 2002 | 1 April 2006 | 3 years, 347 days |
| – |  | Lieutenant General Frank Klotz (born 1950) Acting | 1 April 2006 | 26 June 2006 | 86 days |
| 12 |  | General Kevin P. Chilton (born 1954) | 26 June 2006 | 3 October 2007 | 1 year, 99 days |
| – |  | Lieutenant General Michael A. Hamel Acting | 3 October 2007 | 12 October 2007 | 9 days |
| 13 |  | General C. Robert Kehler (born 1952) | 12 October 2007 | 5 January 2011 | 3 years, 85 days |
| 14 |  | General William L. Shelton (born 1954) | 5 January 2011 | 15 August 2014 | 3 years, 222 days |
| 15 |  | General John E. Hyten (born 1959) | 15 August 2014 | 25 October 2016 | 2 years, 71 days |
| 16 |  | General John W. Raymond (born 1962) | 25 October 2016 | 20 December 2019 | 3 years, 56 days |
| United States Space Force | |||||
| 1 |  | General John W. Raymond (born 1962) | 20 December 2019a | 21 October 2020 | 306 days |
| Space Operations Command | |||||
| 1 |  | Lieutenant General Stephen Whiting (born 1967) | 21 October 2020 | 9 January 2024 | 3 years, 80 days |
| 2 |  | Lieutenant General David N. Miller (born c. 1971) | 9 January 2024 | 3 November 2025 | 1 year, 298 days |
| United States Space Force Combat Forces Command | |||||
| 1 |  | Lieutenant General Gregory Gagnon (born c. 1972) | 3 November 2025 | Incumbent | 226 days |
List of vice commanders
| No. | Vice Commander | Term | Ref | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Duration | ||
| 1 |  | Lieutenant General David D. Thompson (born 1963) | 4 April 2018 | 21 October 2020 | 2 years, 200 days | 3 |
| 2 |  | Major General John E. Shaw (born 1968) | 21 October 2020 | 16 November 2020 | 26 days | - |
| 3 |  | Major General DeAnna Burt (born 1969) | 16 November 2020 | 22 August 2022 | 1 year, 279 days | 4 |
| 4 |  | Major General Douglas Schiess (born 1970) | 22 August 2022 | 6 December 2023 | 1 year, 106 days | 5 |
| 5 |  | Brigadier General Devin Pepper (born 1969) | 6 December 2023 | 11 June 2024 | ~188 days | 6 |
| 6 |  | Brigadier General Chandler Atwood (1978–2025) | 11 June 2024 | 20 June 2025 | 1 year, 9 days | 7 |
| 7 |  | Brigadier General Casey Beard (born c. 1979) | 20 June 2025 | Incumbent | 362 days | 8 |
List of deputy commanders
| No. | Deputy Commander | Term | Ref | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Duration | ||
| 1 | | Major General Maurice C. Padden (1931–2015) | July 1985 | 1 October 1986 | ~1 year, 78 days | 9 |
| 2 |  | Major General Ralph E. Spraker (1933–2020) | 1 October 1986 | June 1989 | ~2 years, 257 days | 10 |
| 3 |  | Major General G. Wesley Clark (born 1932) | June 1989 | April 1990 | ~304 days | 11 |
| 4 |  | Major General Jay W. Kelley (born 1941) | April 1990 | March 1992 | ~1 year, 335 days | 12 |
| 5 | | Lieutenant General Thomas S. Moorman Jr. (1940–2020) | March 1992 | July 1994 | ~2 years, 122 days | 13 |
| 6 |  | Lieutenant General Patrick P. Caruana (born 1939) | August 1994 | August 1997 | ~3 years | 14 |
| 7 |  | Lieutenant General Lance W. Lord (born 1946) | August 1997 | June 1999 | ~1 year, 304 days | 14 |
| 8 |  | Lieutenant General Donald G. Cook (born 1946) | July 1999 | June 2000 | ~1 year | 15 |
| 9 |  | Lieutenant General Roger G. DeKok (1947–2003) | June 2000 | April 2002 | ~1 year, 304 days | 16 |
| 10 |  | Lieutenant General Robert C. Hinson | April 2002 | August 2003 | ~1 year, 122 days | 17 |
| 11 |  | Lieutenant General Daniel P. Leaf (born c. 1952) | August 2003 | September 2005 | ~2 years, 31 days | 18 |
| 12 | | Lieutenant General Frank Klotz (born 1950) | October 2005 | August 2007 | ~1 year, 304 days | 19 |
| 13 |  | Major General Thomas F. Deppe | August 2007 | August 2009 | ~2 years | 20 |
| 14 |  | Lieutenant General Michael J. Basla | August 2009 | May 2012 | ~2 years, 274 days | 21 |
| 15 |  | Lieutenant General John E. Hyten (born 1959) | May 2012 | August 2014 | ~2 years, 92 days | - |
| 16 |  | Major General David J. Buck | August 2014 | August 2015 | ~1 year | 22 |
| 17 |  | Major General David D. Thompson (born 1963) | July 2015 | July 2017 | ~2 years | - |
| 18 |  | Major General Robert J. Skinner | July 2017 | July 2018 | ~1 year | 23 |
| 19 | | Major General John E. Shaw (born 1968) | August 2018 | 20 November 2019 | ~1 year, 97 days | 24 |
| 20 |  | Major General Stephen Whiting (born 1967) | 20 November 2019 | 21 October 2020 | 336 days | 25 |
List of senior enlisted leaders
| No. | Senior Enlisted Leader | Term | Ref | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Duration | ||
| 1 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Charles P. Zimkas Jr. | 1 September 1982 | ~1984 | ~1 year, 303 days | 26 |
| 2 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Thomas J. Echols | ~1984 | October 1986 | ~2 years, 107 days | - |
| 3 |  | Chief Master Sergeant John W. Wright (1942–2019) | October 1986 | ~1989 | ~2 years, 258 days | 27 |
| 4 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Delamar T. Jones | ~1989 | December 1992 | ~3 years, 168 days | - |
| 5 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Richard G. Griffis | December 1992 | November 1996 | ~3 years, 336 days | 28 |
| 6 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Robert M. Clougherty | November 1996 | August 1998 | ~1 year, 273 days | 29 |
| 7 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Dennis L. Fritz | August 1998 | February 2000 | ~1 year, 184 days | 30 |
| 8 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Kevin D. Estrem | February 2000 | June 2002 | ~2 years, 120 days | 31 |
| 9 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Ronald G. Kriete | June 2002 | August 2006 | ~4 years, 61 days | 32 |
| 10 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Michael T. Sullivan | August 2006 | 14 February 2008 | ~1 year, 183 days | 3334 |
| 11 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Richard T. Small | 14 February 2008 | September 2011 | ~3 years, 212 days | 35 |
| 12 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Linus Jordan | September 2011 | May 2013 | ~1 year, 242 days | 36 |
| 13 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Douglas McIntyre | May 2013 | 6 August 2015 | ~2 years, 83 days | 3738 |
| 14 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Patrick F. McMahon | 6 August 2015 | May 2016 | ~283 days | 39 |
| 15 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Brendan I. Criswell | July 2016 | November 2018 | ~2 years, 123 days | 40 |
| 16 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Roger A. Towberman (born 1966/1967) | November 2018 | 21 October 2020 | ~1 year, 341 days | 41 |
| 17 |  | Chief Master Sergeant John F. Bentivegna (born c. 1976) | 21 October 2020 | 30 April 2022 | 1 year, 191 days | 42 |
| 18 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Jacob C. Simmons (born c. 1974) | 30 April 2022 | 7 August 2023 | 1 year, 99 days | 42 |
| 19 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Caleb M. Lloyd (born c. 1985) | 7 August 2023 | 6 June 2025 | 1 year, 303 days | 43 |
| 20 |  | Chief Master Sergeant Michael J. Rozneck (born c. 1980) | 6 June 2025 | Incumbent | 1 year, 11 days | 4445 |
See also
See also
References
References
Notes
- With the creation of the Space Force, Air Force Space Command headquarters in Colorado remained working until the stand-up of Space Operations Command, serving in transitional capacity as Headquarters, United States Space Force.1
Citations
- "Space Operations Command (USSF)". Afhra.af.mil.
- "2009 Space Almanac" (PDF). Space-library.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
- "Air Force establishes Pentagon-based AFSPC vice commander position". Air Force Space Command (Archived). Archived from the original on 6 April 2018.
- "Maj. Gen. DeAnna M. Burt". www.spaceforce.mil. Archived from the original on 7 April 2021. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- "Maj. Gen. Douglas A. Schiess". www.spaceforce.mil. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
- "Devin R. Pepper".
- "Chandler P. Atwood".
- "Casey M. "Shaggy" Beard".
- "MAJOR GENERAL MAURICE C. PADDEN". www.af.mil.
- "MAJOR GENERAL RALPH E. SPRAKER". www.af.mil.
- "MAJOR GENERAL G. WESLEY CLARK". www.af.mil.
- "LIEUTENANT GENERAL JAY W. KELLEY". www.af.mil.
- "THOMAS S. MOORMAN JR". www.af.mil.
- "LIEUTENANT GENERAL PATRICK P. CARUANA". www.af.mil.
- "GENERAL DONALD G. COOK". www.af.mil.
- "LIEUTENANT GENERAL ROGER G. DEKOK". www.af.mil.
- "LIEUTENANT GENERAL ROBERT C. HINSON". www.af.mil.
- "LIEUTENANT GENERAL DANIEL P. LEAF". www.af.mil.
- "LIEUTENANT GENERAL FRANK G. KLOTZ". www.af.mil.
- "MAJOR GENERAL THOMAS F. DEPPE". www.af.mil.
- "MICHAEL J. BASLA". www.af.mil.
- "DAVID J. BUCK". www.af.mil.
- "ROBERT J. SKINNER". www.af.mil.
- "John E. Shaw". www.spaceforce.mil.
- "Stephen N. Whiting". www.spaceforce.mil.
- "First AFSPC Command Chief honored at AF Museum". Air Force Space Command (Archived). Archived from the original on 27 December 2022.
- "John Wright Obituary -". Dignity Memorial.
- "Chief Master Sergeant Richard G. Griffis Biography". Archived from the original on 14 February 1997.
- "Chief Master Sergeant Robert M. Clougherty Biography". 19 July 1997. Archived from the original on 19 July 1997.
- "Chief Dennis Fritz Biography". Archived from the original on 23 October 1999.
- "CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT KEVIN D. ESTREM". Archived from the original on 3 November 2001.
- "Biographies : CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT RONALD G. KRIETE". 22 July 2006. Archived from the original on 22 July 2006.
- "Command chief retires after three decades of service". Air Force Space Command (Archived). Archived from the original on 13 April 2022.
- "Biographies : CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT MICHAEL T. SULLIVAN". 29 January 2008. Archived from the original on 29 January 2008.
- "Biographies : CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT RICHARD T. SMALL". 6 September 2010. Archived from the original on 6 September 2010.
- "Biographies : CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT LINUS JORDAN". 17 February 2013. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013.
- "Be true to yourself". Air Force Space Command (Archived). Archived from the original on 27 December 2022.
- "Biographies : CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT DOUGLAS L. MCINTYRE". Archived from the original on 10 May 2015.
- "Chief Master Sergeant Patrick F. McMahon". United States Department of Defense.
- "CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT BRENDAN I. CRISWELL > Air Force Space Command > Biographies". Archived from the original on 9 June 2018.
- "CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT ROGER A. TOWBERMAN". www.afspc.af.mil. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019.
- "Chief Master Sergeant Jacob C Simmons". www.spoc.spaceforce.mil.
- "CHIEF MASTER SERGEANT CALEB M. LLOYD". Space Operations Command. 7 August 2023. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- "Space Operations Command welcomes new Senior Enlisted Leader > Space Operations Command (SpOC) > Article Display". Archived from the original on 7 July 2025. Retrieved 4 September 2025.
- "Chief Master Sergeant Michael J. Rozneck". www.spoc.spaceforce.mil.