U.S. Space Command officially declared Full Operational Capability (FOC) at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. FOC is a critical milestone for the Command as it seeks to ensure our national security in the space domain. The Polis-Primavera administration applauds our military community for reaching this significant achievement. Governor Jared Polis and Lieutenant Governor Dianne Primavera were joined by national security space leaders in recognizing the importance of this significant milestone and emphasizing that nothing should disrupt this critical achievement.
“This is an exciting milestone as Space Command, from its permanent home in Colorado Springs, continues to protect our national security in the space domain. Congratulations to the Command and military community on this monumental achievement reaching Full Operational Capability. Colorado continues to serve as the epicenter of national security space and the proud home to a nation-leading aerospace industry and workforce,” said Governor Jared Polis and Lt. Governor Dianne Primavera.
Leaders in the aerospace security community applauded this achievement:
“Congratulations to U.S. Space Command on the declaration of Full Operational Capability. Coupled with the decision on the permanent location of U.S. Space Command Headquarters, the Command can now focus fully on the fastest, most credible way to deter and defeat the rapidly increasing threats to our satellites posed by China, Russia and others. Based on my 47 years of experience in space operations, I believe the permanent HQ decision and the FOC declaration are huge wins for our national security,” said General William Shelton, former Commander of Air Force Space Command.
“As a former Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command, I understood for decades the critical role that space plays in the defense of our homeland. The critical importance of the space domain has only grown since then. Today, our Nation faces some of the most threatening geopolitical situations we have seen since the Cold War. U.S. Space Command must achieve Full Operational Capability (FOC) as soon as possible to ensure we meet these challenges head on. This is absolutely critical to our national security and homeland defense. I also know first hand, the importance of the personal relationships, both between commanders and their staffs. Co-locating U.S. Space Command and U.S. Northern Command produced vital synergies and unity of effort, specifically in the areas of space surveillance and missile defense, but so many more. The speed and nature of the threats we face require this type of coordination. Finally, Full Operational Capability is enabled and supported by the unmatched defense industrial base and innovative workforce found only in Colorado Springs. Prior experience tells me that only a small percentage of this critical workforce will move to another state. The impact on daily space operations, the disruption of the force, the uncertainty of our civilian force to move, and the substantial cost of duplicating mission for years as a move would unfold, notwithstanding the growing threats from peer/near peer nations in every domain make the consideration of disrupting the progress to Full Operational Capability potentially dangerous and certainly poor use of limited DoD funds,” said General Gene Renuart, USAF (Ret) Former Commander, NORAD and U.S. Northern Command.
“Colorado Springs is the operational backbone of national security space. The unmatched space industrial base in Colorado is critical to U.S. Space Command achieving and maintaining Full Operational Capability (FOC), and provides the workforce and innovation necessary to ensure both the immediate and long-term success of the Command. In addition, the current location of U.S. Space Command on Peterson Space Force Base is adjacent to the U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Operations Command (SpOC), the majority of operational USSF Deltas, U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the Aerospace Data Facility – Colorado, and significant Intelligence Community assets all of which enable critical synergies and enhance U.S. Space Commands ability to execute its assigned missions. These organizations, along with the space expertise and industrial base resident in Colorado will not move if U.S. Space Command HQ is relocated. We learned this lesson in 2002 when the U.S. Space Command Headquarters at Peterson AFB was closed and its functions were moved to Omaha. Finally, moving the Command after it achieves FOC adds unnecessary risks to the continuity of operations of the command. In 2023, we do not have the time to risk disrupting FOC. For these reasons alone, the decision to keep U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs is the right decision for the Nation.” said General Kevin Chilton, former Commander of U.S. Strategic Command and former Commander of Air Force Space Command.
“Just as the United States Navy has ensured safe access to global shipping lanes for over a century, so Space Command helps ensure free and safe access to today’s space domain, which has become just as essential to our economy and way of life. Given the realities of modern conflict and the current threat landscape, it is vital to our national security that nothing disrupts the operational capability of Space Command. Relocating the Command from its current home at Peterson Space Force Base would have been an unnecessary and risky disruption,” said Hon Dr. Janine Davidson, former Under Secretary of the U.S. Navy.
“Congrats to US SPACE COMMAND on reaching FOC. The continuing challenge will be to maintain operational readiness, due to the ever changing, existential threats posed by our adversaries. The decision to permanently base the Headquarters in Colorado Springs, mitigates a huge diversion of resources, and will aid in meeting the challenge of countering such threats as China’s Fractional Orbital Bombardment Systems (FOBs), which partially orbited the Earth in 2021 before releasing hypersonic weapons that reentered the atmosphere and hit land. This disruptive weapon as well as cyber and electronic warfare threats will destabilize the global order if left unchecked. It is reassuring to know that US SPACE COMMAND is declaring FOC as our adversaries’ threats need to be deterred and countered.” said Hon Sue Payton, former Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition
“As senior leaders in the Intelligence Community, our focus is on assessing the threat environment and its impact on national security and strategic deterrence. The global threat arena has fundamentally changed in the past three years, creating significant and existential threats to the United States and our way of life. We face vexing and complex threats in defense of North America and our national interests. U.S. Space Command plays a vital role in domain awareness, global situational awareness, and orbital domain awareness which are all central to ensuring our national security. At this increasingly complex moment, we should focus on enhancing our resilience and optimizing our capabilities and should avoid any actions which disrupt these objectives,” said Major General Aaron Prupas, former Director of Defense Intelligence (Warfighter Support) and former Director of Intelligence and Information for NORAD/NORTHCOM and Mr. Keith Lawless, former NORAD/NORTHCOM Deputy J2.