SpOC emblem

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.

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

Gen O'Malley (left) and Secretary Aldridge (right) looks on as Gen Hartinger signs as the first commander of Space Command, 1 September 1982
Left to right: Gen Kutyna, Gen Herres, Gen Hartinger, Maj Gen Padden, and Lt Gen Moorman, former and current Air Force Space Command commanders, gather in 1991
Lt Gen Whiting, the first commander of Space Operations Command, delivers remarks during the field command's activation ceremony, 21 October 2020
No.CommanderTerm
PortraitNameTook officeLeft officeDuration
Space Command
1General James V. Hartinger (1925–2000)1 September 198220 July 19841 year, 323 days
2General Robert T. Herres (1932–2008)30 July 198415 November 19851 year, 118 days
Air Force Space Command
1General Robert T. Herres (1932–2008)15 November 19851 October 1986320 days
2Major General Maurice C. Padden (1931–2015)1 October 198629 October 19871 year, 28 days
3Lieutenant General Donald J. Kutyna (born 1933)29 October 198729 March 19902 years, 151 days
4Lieutenant General Thomas S. Moorman Jr. (1940–2020)29 March 199023 March 19921 year, 360 days
5General Donald J. Kutyna (born 1933)23 March 199230 June 199299 days
6General Chuck Horner (born 1936)30 June 199213 September 19942 years, 106 days
7General Joseph W. Ashy (born 1940)13 September 199426 August 19961 year, 348 days
8General Howell M. Estes III (1941–2024)26 August 199614 August 19981 year, 353 days
9General Richard Myers (born 1942)14 August 199822 February 20001 year, 192 days
10General Ralph Eberhart (born 1946)22 February 200019 April 20022 years, 56 days
11General Lance W. Lord (born 1946)19 April 20021 April 20063 years, 347 days
–Lieutenant General Frank Klotz (born 1950) Acting1 April 200626 June 200686 days
12General Kevin P. Chilton (born 1954)26 June 20063 October 20071 year, 99 days
–Lieutenant General Michael A. Hamel Acting3 October 200712 October 20079 days
13General C. Robert Kehler (born 1952)12 October 20075 January 20113 years, 85 days
14General William L. Shelton (born 1954)5 January 201115 August 20143 years, 222 days
15General John E. Hyten (born 1959)15 August 201425 October 20162 years, 71 days
16General John W. Raymond (born 1962)25 October 201620 December 20193 years, 56 days
United States Space Force
1General John W. Raymond (born 1962)20 December 201921 October 2020306 days
Space Operations Command
1Lieutenant General Stephen Whiting (born 1967)21 October 20209 January 20243 years, 80 days
2Lieutenant General David N. Miller (born c.1971)9 January 20243 November 20251 year, 298 days
United States Space Force Combat Forces Command
1Lieutenant General Gregory Gagnon (born c.1972)3 November 2025Incumbent167 days

List of vice commanders

Gen Goldfein (left) administers the oath of office to Lt Gen Thompson (right) during the establishment of the Air Force Space Command's vice commander position, 4 April 2018
No.Vice CommanderTermRef
PortraitNameTook officeLeft officeDuration
1Lieutenant General David D. Thompson (born 1963)4 April 201821 October 20202 years, 200 days
2Major General John E. Shaw (born 1968)21 October 202016 November 202026 days-
3Major General DeAnna Burt (born 1969)16 November 202022 August 20221 year, 279 days
4Major General Douglas Schiess (born 1970)22 August 20226 December 20231 year, 106 days
5Brigadier General Devin Pepper (born 1969)6 December 202311 June 2024~188 days
6Brigadier General Chandler Atwood (1978–2025)11 June 202420 June 20251 year, 9 days
7Brigadier General Casey Beard (born c.1979)20 June 2025Incumbent303 days

List of deputy commanders

No.Deputy CommanderTermRef
PortraitNameTook officeLeft officeDuration
1Major General Maurice C. Padden (1931–2015)July 19851 October 1986~1 year, 78 days
2Major General Ralph E. Spraker (1933–2020)1 October 1986June 1989~2 years, 257 days
3Major General G. Wesley Clark (born 1932)June 1989April 1990~304 days
4Major General Jay W. Kelley (born 1941)April 1990March 1992~1 year, 335 days
5Lieutenant General Thomas S. Moorman Jr. (1940–2020)March 1992July 1994~2 years, 122 days
6Lieutenant General Patrick P. Caruana (born 1939)August 1994August 1997~3 years
7Lieutenant General Lance W. Lord (born 1946)August 1997June 1999~1 year, 304 days
8Lieutenant General Donald G. Cook (born 1946)July 1999June 2000~1 year
9Lieutenant General Roger G. DeKok (1947–2003)June 2000April 2002~1 year, 304 days
10Lieutenant General Robert C. HinsonApril 2002August 2003~1 year, 122 days
11Lieutenant General Daniel P. Leaf (born c.1952)August 2003September 2005~2 years, 31 days
12Lieutenant General Frank Klotz (born 1950)October 2005August 2007~1 year, 304 days
13Major General Thomas F. DeppeAugust 2007August 2009~2 years
14Lieutenant General Michael J. BaslaAugust 2009May 2012~2 years, 274 days
15Lieutenant General John E. Hyten (born 1959)May 2012August 2014~2 years, 92 days-
16Major General David J. BuckAugust 2014August 2015~1 year
17Major General David D. Thompson (born 1963)July 2015July 2017~2 years-
18Major General Robert J. SkinnerJuly 2017July 2018~1 year
19Major General John E. Shaw (born 1968)August 201820 November 2019~1 year, 97 days
20Major General Stephen Whiting (born 1967)20 November 201921 October 2020336 days

List of senior enlisted leaders

No.Senior Enlisted LeaderTermRef
PortraitNameTook officeLeft officeDuration
1Chief Master Sergeant Charles P. Zimkas Jr.1 September 1982~1984~1 year, 303 days
2Chief Master Sergeant Thomas J. Echols~1984October 1986~2 years, 107 days-
3Chief Master Sergeant John W. Wright (1942–2019)October 1986~1989~2 years, 258 days
4Chief Master Sergeant Delamar T. Jones~1989December 1992~3 years, 168 days-
5Chief Master Sergeant Richard G. GriffisDecember 1992November 1996~3 years, 336 days
6Chief Master Sergeant Robert M. CloughertyNovember 1996August 1998~1 year, 273 days
7Chief Master Sergeant Dennis L. FritzAugust 1998February 2000~1 year, 184 days
8Chief Master Sergeant Kevin D. EstremFebruary 2000June 2002~2 years, 120 days
9Chief Master Sergeant Ronald G. KrieteJune 2002August 2006~4 years, 61 days
10Chief Master Sergeant Michael T. SullivanAugust 200614 February 2008~1 year, 183 days
11Chief Master Sergeant Richard T. Small14 February 2008September 2011~3 years, 212 days
12Chief Master Sergeant Linus JordanSeptember 2011May 2013~1 year, 242 days
13Chief Master Sergeant Douglas McIntyreMay 20136 August 2015~2 years, 83 days
14Chief Master Sergeant Patrick F. McMahon6 August 2015May 2016~283 days
15Chief Master Sergeant Brendan I. CriswellJuly 2016November 2018~2 years, 123 days
16Chief Master Sergeant Roger A. Towberman (born 1966/1967)November 201821 October 2020~1 year, 341 days
17Chief Master Sergeant John F. Bentivegna (born c.1976)21 October 202030 April 20221 year, 191 days
18Chief Master Sergeant Jacob C. Simmons (born c.1974)30 April 20227 August 20231 year, 99 days
19Chief Master Sergeant Caleb M. Lloyd (born c.1985)7 August 20236 June 20251 year, 303 days
20Chief Master Sergeant Michael J. Rozneck (born c.1980)6 June 2025Incumbent317 days

See also

Notes

Citations