US Space Force – Newest Member of the USIC 

Established on 20 December 2019, the U.S. Space Force (USSF) is the newest branch of the U.S. armed forces in 73 years and is the newest member of the US Intelligence Community. As modern warfare strategies become increasingly reliant on space, ensuring superiority in this domain has further become a top priority for the U.S. The USSF is dedicated to maintaining space superiority, securing assets, and protecting national interests. The space domain is defined as all activities conducted beyond Earth’s atmosphere, including satellite operations, intelligence gathering, and space-based defence capabilities.

Within the Space Force, all personnel are known as “Guardians,” evidently reflecting their role in protecting national space-based infrastructure used to keep the U.S. on the cutting edge. The force is equipped with advanced intelligence capabilities, including satellite surveillance, space domain awareness, and electronic warfare tactics.

Images Sourced From: Dennis Rogers, Senior Airman Thomas Sjoberg, Sarayuth Pinthong

1 Motto, Symbols, and Space Force History 

1.1 Motto 

Their Motto is Semper Supra meaning “Always Above” 

1.2 Symbols 

The Motto and logo were both released in July 2020.

1.3 Space Force History 

Established through the National Defence Authorization Act on 20 December 2019, the U.S. Space Force is evidently the newest branch of the U.S. armed forces in 73 years. It was established because lawmakers believed that space is critical to national security, and it became apparent that a service focused on space superiority is a necessity. Overall access and freedom to space operations is critical to national and economic prosperity of the U.S.

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2 Organisation 

2.1 Place within broader government

The Space Force is organized under the Department of the Air Force, but it functions independently with a separate mission focused solely on operations in space, similar to how the U.S. Marine Corps is under the Department of the Navy.

Just like all other military branches, the headquarters of the Space Force is located in the Pentagon in Washington DC. Further beyond the Pentagon, in total, the Space Force has 46 bases in 18 U.S. states and territories. Additionally, they have international bases, including in Greenland, Germany, the UK, and Diego Garcia. The five major U.S. bases are:

• Vandenberg Space Force Base in California,
• Buckley Space Force Base in Colorado.
• Patrick Space Force Base in Florida.
• Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado.
• Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado.

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2.2 Space Force Structure 

2.2.1 Three Main Divisions (in hierarchical order): 

• Field commands: Oversee mission goals for their specific commands, there’s 3 overall:
  • Space Operations Command (SpOC)
  • Space Systems Command (SSC)
  • Space Training and Readiness Command (STRATCOM)
• Deltas: Each field command explicitly consists of multiple deltas, which have different missions like training, installation support, or operations. A delta can function either as a Space Delta (a unit) or as a Space Base Delta (a base). For example, Space Delta 13 focuses on training Guardians to support the National Defence Strategy. In total, there are 23 deltas.
• Squadrons: Each delta contains several squadrons, which handle specific tasks that support the delta and the overall mission of their field command.

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2.2.2 Rank Structure: 

Rank simplifies pay as well as leadership. This list is ordered from the highest rank to the lowest rank.

Officer:

• General 
• Lieutenant General 
• Major General 
• Brigadier General 
• Colonel 
• Lieutenant Colonel 
• Major 
• Captain 
• First Lieutenant 
• Second Lieutenant

Enlisted: 

• Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force
• Chief Master Sergeant
• Senior Master Sergeant
• Master Sergeant
• Technical Sergeant
• Sergeant
• Specialist 4
• Specialist 3
• Specialist 2
• Specialist 1

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2.3 Notable Deltas

Space Delta 3 (DEL 3): This delta is generally responsible for training and presenting operational combat-ready Space Electronic Warfare forces. They are generally headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado. This group was originally activated on 10 October 2019.

As of April 2024, within DEL 3 there are 5 Units:

• 4th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron
• 5th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron
• 16th Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron
• 3rd Combat Training Squadron
• 23rd Electromagnetic Warfare Squadron

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Space Delta 2 (DEL 2): This delta generally conducts Space Domain Awareness and Space Battle Management operations to identify, characterize, and exploit opportunities and mitigate vulnerabilities in the national security space domain.

As of April 2024, within DEL 2 there are 5 Units:

• 15th Space Surveillance Squadron
• 18th Space Defence Squadron
• 19th Space Defence Squadron
• 20th Space Surveillance Squadron
• Detachment 2

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Space Delta 4 (DEL 4): This unit is generally responsible for detecting and tracking missile launches, providing critical early warning systems for national security. They also operate and support three constellations of Overhead Persistent Infrared satellites and two types of Ground-Based Radars to conduct strategic missile warnings.

As of April 2024, within DEL 4 there are 13 Units:

• Delta 4 Staff:
• Detachment 2
• 2nd Space Warning Squadron
• 3rd Satellite Communications Squadron
• 5th Space Warning Squadron
• 6th Space Warning Squadron
• 7th Space Warning Squadron
• 10th Space Warning Squadron
• 11th Space Warning Squadron
• 12th Space Warning Squadron
• 13th Space Warning Squadron
• 62nd Cyber Squadron
• Detachment 4, 71st ISR Squadron

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2.4 Recruitment

Requirements 

• You must be between the ages of 18 and 41 to join the Space Force.
• You need a high-school diploma or a GED.
• Obtain a qualifying ASVAB score.
• Pass the moral and physical screening.
• To be an officer, you must have a college degree.

Basic military training for the Space Force is 7.5 weeks long and is also done in conjunction with the Air Force at Joint Base San Antonio Lackland (JBSA) in Texas. The Space Force is unique compared to the rest of the branches because all recruits receive emotional intelligence training.

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2.5 Financing

For the Fiscal year 2025, Space Force is requesting USD $29.4 billion, more than the GDP of 100 countries in 2025 dollars.

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3 Tactical-Operational Information 

3.1 Operations 

The U.S. Space Force has a wide range of operations, including anything involving space. Notable operations are:

• Congested: There are more objects orbiting the Earth than ever before. These objects move at a tremendous speed and also can cause damage to satellites, making it a safety hazard. Space Force personnel are responsible for reporting, further cataloguing, and tracking these objects. 
• Iron Dome: They are assembling a team to roll out President Donald Trump’s idea for a U.S. version of Iron Dome. 
• Intelligence: The National Space Intelligence Center (NSIC) is the intelligence organization under the USSF. Formerly known as Space Delta 18, this organization has 4 squadrons that all focus on collecting intelligence on regional actors and foreign capabilities.
• Space Superiority: Overall the main function of the USSF is space superiority. Space superiority has 2 aspects: control and access, meaning infrastructure that allows friendly forces to operate freely and also deny advisories’ operational capabilities. This involves further collaborating with other branches, deploying new satellites, and monitoring threats from adversarial satellites. 

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3.2 Core Purpose 

Mission statement: “Secure our Nation’s interests in, from, and to space.”

Main and Notable Functions:

• Space Control: The primary goal of the space force is to achieve space superiority, which is a level of control that allows friendly forces to operate freely while preventing adversaries from doing the same. Space Control also includes offensive and defensive measures, known as counter-space operations.
• Global Mission Operations: The Space Force concurrently coordinates U.S. military functions throughout all domains worldwide. Concurrently enabling the U.S. military and its allies to see, communicate, and navigate effectively. These operations evidently play a critical role in protecting U.S. forces by providing early warning of missile threats.
• Space Access: Space force overall ensures the deployment and sustainment of assets in, from, and to space. This includes activities like rocket launches, as well as behind-the-scenes tasks such as manoeuvring satellites to avoid collisions with space debris.
• X-37B: The X-37B, otherwise known as the Orbital Test Vehicle, is a reusable robotic unmanned space plane produced by Boeing that has conducted six missions, the longest of which was 908 days in space. The capabilities and full use of the device remain classified, but likely include testing the moving of payloads into orbit to experiment with emerging space technologies. It is designed to push the boundaries of space experimentation. 

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3.3 Space Force Personnel Size

As of 2025, the space force has approximately 14,00 military and civilian personnel.

4 Space Force vs National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) vs National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA)

The U.S. Space Force, NGA and also the NRO serve complementary roles in national security, all three having roles focusing on space security. The Space Force focuses on all aspects of military space operations, similarly the NRO builds and operates the satellites, and NGA analyses the resulting intelligence. Despite their distinct missions, they collaborate on intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) and space domain awareness (SDA) to enhance U.S. security in space.

5 The Future of the Space Force

The Space Force is an organization that is on the cutting edge of military technological capabilities. Currently, the organization is the only military branch that does not have a reserve component, but this will likely change in the future as the organization grows and their role becomes increasingly critical. 

6 Conclusion 

The Space Force is quickly becoming a pillar of the intelligence community when it comes to maintaining capabilities and operations in the space domain. Since its creation in 2019, USSF has and continues to play a vital role in intelligence, global surveillance, and space battle management. As technology becomes more advanced and the space domain becomes increasingly contested, the importance of this organization will further continue to grow. Understanding the Space Force and its operations are crucial for seeing the evolving nature of defence in the modern era.