Leadership of Space Operations Command

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.

SpOC emblem

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. The current commander of SpOC is Lieutenant General David N. Miller.

List of commanders

Commander of Space Operations Command
Flag of a Space Force lieutenant general
Incumbent Lieutenant General David N. Miller since 9 January 2024
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

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.	Commander[2][1]		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 2019[a]	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	Incumbent	1 year, 119 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 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 (born 1977/1978)	11 June 2024	Incumbent	331 days	[7]

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	[8]
2		Major General Ralph E. Spraker (1933–2020)	1 October 1986	June 1989	~2 years, 257 days	[9]
3		Major General G. Wesley Clark (born 1932)	June 1989	April 1990	~304 days	[10]
4		Major General Jay W. Kelley (born 1941)	April 1990	March 1992	~1 year, 335 days	[11]
5		Lieutenant General Thomas S. Moorman Jr. (1940–2020)	March 1992	July 1994	~2 years, 122 days	[12]
6		Lieutenant General Patrick P. Caruana (born 1939)	August 1994	August 1997	~3 years	[13]
7		Lieutenant General Lance W. Lord (born 1946)	August 1997	June 1999	~1 year, 304 days	[13]
8		Lieutenant General Donald G. Cook (born 1946)	July 1999	June 2000	~1 year	[14]
9		Lieutenant General Roger G. DeKok (1947–2003)	June 2000	April 2002	~1 year, 304 days	[15]
10		Lieutenant General Robert C. Hinson	April 2002	August 2003	~1 year, 122 days	[16]
11		Lieutenant General Daniel P. Leaf (born c. 1952)	August 2003	September 2005	~2 years, 31 days	[17]
12		Lieutenant General Frank Klotz (born 1950)	October 2005	August 2007	~1 year, 304 days	[18]
13		Major General Thomas F. Deppe	August 2007	August 2009	~2 years	[19]
14		Lieutenant General Michael J. Basla	August 2009	May 2012	~2 years, 274 days	[20]
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	[21]
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	[22]
19		Major General John E. Shaw (born 1968)	August 2018	20 November 2019	~1 year, 97 days	[23]
20		Major General Stephen Whiting (born 1967)	20 November 2019	21 October 2020	336 days	[24]

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	[25]
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	[26]
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	[27]
6		Chief Master Sergeant Robert M. Clougherty	November 1996	August 1998	~1 year, 273 days	[28]
7		Chief Master Sergeant Dennis L. Fritz	August 1998	February 2000	~1 year, 184 days	[29]
8		Chief Master Sergeant Kevin D. Estrem	February 2000	June 2002	~2 years, 120 days	[30]
9		Chief Master Sergeant Ronald G. Kriete	June 2002	August 2006	~4 years, 61 days	[31]
10		Chief Master Sergeant Michael T. Sullivan	August 2006	14 February 2008	~1 year, 183 days	[32][33]
11		Chief Master Sergeant Richard T. Small	14 February 2008	September 2011	~3 years, 212 days	[34]
12		Chief Master Sergeant Linus Jordan	September 2011	May 2013	~1 year, 242 days	[35]
13		Chief Master Sergeant Douglas McIntyre	May 2013	6 August 2015	~2 years, 83 days	[36][37]
14		Chief Master Sergeant Patrick F. McMahon	6 August 2015	May 2016	~283 days	[38]
15		Chief Master Sergeant Brendan I. Criswell	July 2016	November 2018	~2 years, 123 days	[39]
16		Chief Master Sergeant Roger A. Towberman (born 1966/1967)	November 2018	21 October 2020	~1 year, 341 days	[40]
17		Chief Master Sergeant John F. Bentivegna (born c. 1976)	21 October 2020	30 April 2022	1 year, 191 days	[41]
18		Chief Master Sergeant Jacob C. Simmons (born c. 1974)	30 April 2022	7 August 2023	1 year, 99 days	[41]
19		Chief Master Sergeant Caleb M. Lloyd (born c. 1985)	7 August 2023	Incumbent	1 year, 274 days	[42]

See also

• Space Operations Command
• Commander of Space Systems Command
• Commander of Space Training and Readiness Command