The US Space Force has activated a new command dedicated to supporting special operations forces. It’s the military’s first new service component for US Special Operations Command since the Marines joined with Marine Special Operations Command in 2006.
US Space Forces Special Operations Command, or SPACEFOR-SOC, was formally activated on October 7.
Headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, Space Forces Special Operations Command will train and equip Space Force Guardians to regional special operations commands around the world. The new command joins other services’ units that already support SOCOM, such as the Navy SEALs, Army Green Berets and Rangers, Marine Raiders, and Air Force pararescue.
“For the SOF enterprise, this activation provides an enduring and accountable way to integrate space power into special operations,” Adm. Frank Bradley, the commander of SOCOM, said in a statement. The new command will give the Space Force a permanent presence with other SOF units.
Through a capability known as Space Special Warfare, SPACEFOR-SOC will deploy small teams made up of space, cyber, and intelligence specialists. Those teams are designed to provide mobile, low-signature space capabilities to special operations units operating in environments with poor communication.
“The Guardians of SPACEFOR-SOC are shaping how our special operations leaders see the world through the space domain lens, bringing critical, cutting-edge space expertise directly to the combatant command headquarters,” Gen. Douglas Schiess, the Space Force’s chief of space operations, said.
The activation comes as the military increasingly treats space as a contested warfighting domain, such as the air, ground, sea, and cyberspace. The new focus is a major shift from the last two decades of combat during the Global War on Terror. Today, “space” is critical for communications, navigation, missile warning, and intelligence.
GPS navigation in particular is a major concern for Space Guardians— disruptions to satellites that provide GPS can degrade operations of a majority of weapons and technologies.
Space Force oversees satellites and other physical assets while also protecting various networks, communications, and tracking systems. Established in 2019, it is the military’s youngest branch and focuses on the space domain as well as electronic warfare.
Ongoing conflicts have shown vulnerabilities and advantages in these spaces. In the early days of the US war with Iran, officials said US space and cyber forces were the first to begin the fight, jamming signals, hacking networks, and disrupting satellites to blind the Iranian military. Space Command and US Cyber Command also supported military operations against Venezuela earlier this year and Iran’s nuclear program last year.
These domains have also been critical for Russia and Ukraine, with troops fighting inside the electromagnetic spectrum to prevent the other from using satellites, communications, and networks in the fight. The pace at which both sides can employ attacks and countermeasures in these areas has increased throughout the war.
Officials have said this new command will bring more of those components into other special operations forces, contributing greater expertise. The effort aligns with the growing recognition that electromagnetic spectrum, space, and cyber functions are required to operate in other domains such as sea, land, and air.
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