The Sunshine State is already home to the “Space Coast,” the region of the State of Florida around Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. U.S. orbital launches have been conducted from Florida since the launch of Explorer 1, the first U.S. satellite, in 1958 – while all orbital launches carrying NASA astronauts from American soil have also been from the Space Coast.
It is thus fitting that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Department of the Air Force selected Patrick Space Force Base (SFB) as the home for the U.S. Space Force Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) headquarters. It is one of three U.S. Space Force field commands and is responsible for the deliberate development, education, and training of space professionals in addition to the development of space warfighting doctrine, tactics, techniques, and procedures, and the operational test and evaluation of Space Force systems.
“From Project Mercury to today’s privatized spaceflight, Americans look to Florida’s Space Coast to see history in the making,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “We are honored to host the Space Training and Readiness Command headquarters and continue Florida’s history as America’s gateway to outer space.”
Patrick SFB was also named as the preferred location for Space Delta 10, which is responsible for doctrine and wargaming. The delta also conducts the service’s Lessons Learned program and executes and supports wargames to adequately posture space forces and designated joint and allied partners. It was established on August 23, 2021, following the creation of STARCOM, to which it reports. It has been temporarily headquartered at the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado.
Other Space Delta Homes Announced
The Department of the Air Force also announced this week that Kirtland Air Force Base (AFB), New Mexico, will become the preferred location for Space Delta 11; while Schriever SPB, Colorado, is the preferred location for Space Delta 12.
Space Delta 11 is responsible for all ranges and aggressors. It was also raised in August 2021 and currently reports to STARCOM. The delta delivers realistic, threat-informed test and training environments through the provision of live, virtual, and constructive range and combats replication capabilities. It has been temporarily headquartered at Schriever.
Space Delta 12, which is responsible for test and evaluation, also prepares space forces to prevail in contested, degraded, and operationally limited environments through the independent test and evaluation of Space Force capabilities and delivery of timely, accurate, and expert information in support of weapon system acquisition, operational acceptance, and readiness decisions. Like Space Delta 11, it has been temporarily headquartered at Schriever.
The Department of the Air Force said that the decision to host STARCOM HQ and the three deltas at their respective bases came after conducting site surveys at each location to assess their ability to facilitate the mission and infrastructure capacity while accounting for community support, environmental factors, and cost. The next step will include an environmental impact analysis at each base, which is expected to be completed later this year before final decisions are made.
More Space Command Units Staying in Colorado?
The news that STARCOM could head to Florida came as the U.S. Air Force also announced the permanent locations for additional Space Command (SPACECOM) units in Colorado, a move that could serve to fan the flames of an ongoing battle with Alabama lawmakers over SPACECOM’s headquarters.
Four of the permanent locations would now be based in Colorado Springs, which has been housing the temporary headquarters.
SPACECOM which was “reestablished” as part of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) as a sub-unified combatant command under the U.S. Strategic Command, was set to relocate to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, AL.
As previously reported, there’s some chatter that may halt plans to move the command. A number of factors were reportedly behind the decision, but it follows a review of the process that led to the decision to relocate the headquarters from Colorado to Huntsville. Among the concerns is the operational disruption that moving SPACECOM could bring.
SPACECOM, one of the U.S. military’s 11 unified combatant commands, is separate from the United States Space Force, the sixth and newest branch of the U.S. military that is also the service responsible for carrying out the actions of the command. The Space Operations Command (SpOC) is the United States Space Force’s space operations, cyber operations, and intelligence field command. It is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base (SFB).
