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Photo by Airman 1st Class Cody Friend
The U.S. Space Force officially turns five years old Dec. 20.
The sixth branch of the U.S armed forces was established on Dec. 20, 2019, when President Donald J. Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020. Under this act, Air Force Space Command, headquartered at then-Peterson Air Force Base, ceased space operations, was inactivated and the USSF assumed operational control of the space units previously commanded by AFSPC. From there, the Space Force moved forward with building and defining the new service while simultaneously maintaining legacy missions and infrastructure.
In the intervening years since its creation, the USSF has built a space-focused cadre, pulling together ideas and expertise from sister services and promoting the transfer of enlisted and officers experienced in space operations, cyber, intelligence, acquisition and engineering.
But what have these years looked like from an installation perspective?
Looking back through space and time
On July 24, 2020, the USSF inactivated the 21st Space Wing at Peterson AFB and the 50th Space Wing at Schriever AFB. On that same day, consolidating the installations under one command, Peterson-Schriever Garrison was activated with former 50th Space Wing commander, then-Col. James E. Smith, taking charge of the garrison.
P-S GAR expanded its command responsibilities of real property at six installations to include Peterson AFB; Schriever AFB; Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station; Thule Air Base, Greenland; New Boston AFS, New Hampshire; and Ka’ena Point AFS, Hawaii.
“Many command staff functions transferred to the Peterson-Schriever Garrison staff at Peterson AFB,” said Brad Helton, Space Base Delta 1 historian. “However, the support functions such as contracting, security forces, civil engineering, logistics and force support remained under the 21st and 50th Mission Support Groups, which remained active.”
To provide better mission oversight, the USSF activated Space Operations Command at Peterson AFB, Oct. 21, 2020, becoming the first field command for the service and the higher headquarters for space operations units at to P-S GAR. On July 14, 2021, Air Force Material Command and Air Force Research Laboratory transferred control and support of the Maui Space Surveillance Complex, Hawaii, from Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, to Peterson AFB — making P-S GAR responsible for a total of seven installations.
In recognition of the critical role Peterson AFB and Schriever AFB play in supporting various space-focused missions, the Department of the Air Force redesignated both bases as Space Force Bases on July 28, 2021.
However, a new change to the command name was on the horizon.
Space Base Delta 1
On May 23, 2022, Space Operations Command redesignated P-S GAR as Space Base Delta 1.
“The new name brings our Colorado Front Range installations into greater alignment with the U.S. Space Force’s operational Space Deltas and Space Launch Deltas,” according to a quote by then-Col. Shay Warakomski in an article published on May 24, 2022.
However, the newly established SBD 1 was not just a name change but a further fine-tuning of the command’s structure.
“On that day, the 21st and 50th Mission Support Groups inactivated at Peterson and Schriever SFBs and all squadrons transferred under SBD 1,” Helton said. “Looking at geographically separated units such as the 821st Air Base Group at Thule Air Base, Greenland, they were redesignated as the 821st Space Base Group. Eventually, that installation would be renamed on April 6, 2023, from Thule AB to Pituffik Space Base — the traditional Greenlandic name of the region where the base is located.
“Change is the only constant … SBD 1 has constantly been making adjustments ever since to optimize its performance under the new organizational concept within the newly established service.”
Today, SBD 1 enables U.S. Space Force operations for 10 of the service’s Space Deltas that are headquartered in Colorado Springs and more than 111 other mission partners across 23 world-wide operating locations by providing integrated Base Operating Support (e.g., directly assisting, maintaining, supplying and distributing support of forces at the operating locations), Combat Service Support (e.g., the essential capabilities, functions, activities and tasks necessary to sustain all elements of all operating forces at the operating locations) and Delta Staff Agency services (e.g., providing legal, financial and other administrative services to Guardians and Airmen).
Looking ahead
Taking command of SBD 1 on July 11, Col. Kenneth Klock, Space Base Delta 1 commander, now oversees the delta and its day-to-day operations.
“To describe Space Base Delta 1 in the simplest terms, think of us as a platform from which the space mission deltas project power,” Klock said. “Water, power, facilities, HVAC, communications, security, etc., all the critical infrastructure and resources necessary to sustain the basic functions our warfighters need to carry out the mission are provided by us.
“But it’s not just about the infrastructure, it’s also about the people. Many of our Guardians, Airmen and civilians are parents. Think of all the effort required to ensure that installation Child Development Centers are adequately equipped to take care of the children. Think of other mission support functions such as issuing ID cards and getting paid on time. SBD 1 delivers resilient and readily available support for space superiority.”
In plotting a course for the command, Klock is looking into the years ahead and seeing how the command needs to adapt to meet future needs and challenges head on.
“The space domain is ever-changing, and, by extension, so is the Space Force,” Klock said. “Turning five years old this year, we still have a lot to figure out and define, but we are moving forward in a way that ensures we can fight today, if called upon. We are also still innovating and growing to be even more ready for the fight tomorrow. It’s a challenging and exciting time, but we are making all the critical moves that matter.”
“Supporting our missions, growing our people, engaging with our civic community leaders and modernizing our systems and infrastructures — all of that will need to continue. We always have to be prepared for the worst and ensure our capabilities are survivable, flexible and responsive to meet tomorrow’s demands. We are doing that now and we will continue to do that into the future.”
