Space Training and Readiness Command (STAR Command or STARCOM) is the

United States Space Force The United States Space Force (USSF) is the space service branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and the world's only independent space force. Along with its sister branch, the U.S. Air Force, the Space ...

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or Physical fitness, fitness that relate to specific practicality, useful Competence (human resources), competencies. Training has specific goals of improving on ...

doctrine Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system ...

, and

test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...

field command The United States Space Force is organized by different units: the Space Staff, the field commands, and the space deltas. The Space Force is organized as one of two coequal military service branches within the Department of the Air Force, the o ...

. It is headquartered at

Peterson Space Force Base Peterson Space Force Base, previously Peterson Air Force Base, Peterson Field, and Army Air Base, Colorado Springs, is a United States Space Force, U.S. Space Force Base that shares an airfield with the adjacent Colorado Springs Municipal Airp ...

, Colorado. Space Training and Readiness Command was first established on 1 November 1993 as the U.S. Air Force Space Warfare Center under

Air Force Space Command The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing for ...

and simply renamed to the Space Warfare Center (SWC) on 1 July 1994. On 1 March 2006, the Space Warfare Center was redesignated as the Space Innovation and Development Center (SIDC). The Space Innovation and Development Center was inactivated on 1 April 2013 and its responsibilities were transferred to

Air Combat Command Air Combat Command (ACC) is one of nine Major Commands (MAJCOMs) in the United States Air Force, reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force (HAF) at the Pentagon. It is the primary provider of air combat forces for the Air Force, and i ...

United States Air Force Warfare Center The United States Air Force Warfare Center (USAFWC) at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, reports directly to Air Combat Command. The center was founded on September 1, 1966, as the U.S. Air Force Tactical Fighter Weapons Center. It was renamed ...

. Following the establishment of the U.S. Space Force as an independent service, the

Space Training and Readiness Delta (Provisional) The Space Training and Readiness Delta (Provisional) (STAR Delta (P)) was a United States Space Force unit responsible for the training and education of space professionals, as well as the development of space warfighting doctrine. It was a compone ...

was activated on 24 July 2020 under

Space Operations Command Space Operations Command (SpOC) is the United States Space Force's space operations, cyber operations, and intelligence field command. It is headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado and serves as the U.S. Space Force's service com ...

to begin preparing the groundwork for STARCOM's activation as the Space Force's third field command on 23 August 2021.

History

Beginning as the Space Warfare Center

The U.S. Air Force Space Warfare Center (SWC) was established on 1 November 1993 at

Falcon Air Force Base Schriever Space Force Base, previously Schriever Air Force Base, Falcon Air Force Base, and Falcon Air Force Station, is a base of the United States Space Force located approximately east of Peterson Space Force Base near Colorado Springs i ...

under

to better enhance military space capabilities. On 1 July 1994, its name was simplified to the Space Warfare Center. The Space Warfare Center was created as a direct result of the

Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...

, where U.S. space capabilities were used more than any previous conflict, but post–war analysis indicated potential shortfalls. The Space Warfare Center was specifically tasked with integrating space forces with terrestrial forces, including working with the Air Force Doctrine Center and Air University to incorporate space. It was compared with the

United States Army Air Corps The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...

Air Corps Tactical School The Air Corps Tactical School, also known as ACTS and "the Tactical School", was a military professional development school for officers of the United States Army Air Service and United States Army Air Corps, the first such school in the world. C ...

in its role and purpose. It also was responsible for integrating air, space, and cyberspace capabilities in wargames and exercises, conducted advanced space training, and oversaw space experiments and the space ranges. On 21 July 1995, the

17th Test Squadron The 17th Test and Evaluation Squadron is a United States Space Force test and evaluation unit, located at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado. The squadron is tasked with testing and evaluating space systems and associated support equipment. Hi ...

was activated to manage Air Force Space Command test programs and placed under the Space Warfare Center. This was followed by the realignment of the 576th Flight Test Squadron, which performed flight testing of the

LGM-30G Minuteman III The LGM-30 Minuteman is an American land-based intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in service with the Air Force Global Strike Command. , the LGM-30G Minuteman III version is the only land-based ICBM in service in the United States and ...

, from the

30th Operations Group The 30th Operations Group (30 OG) was a group of the United States Space Force. It was assigned to the 30th Space Wing, stationed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. It was responsible for all space launch operations from the West Coast of ...

to the Space Warfare Center on 22 February 1996. In 1997, the Air Force began standing up a series of

battlelab A battle lab or ''battle laboratory'' is an organization dedicated to studying changes in the military. It provides means (premises, teams, operational equipment or operational platforms, hardware, software, IT infrastructure, processes, guideline ...

s to foster innovation across its major commands and functions. The Air Force Space Battlelab was activated on 9 April 1997 and its initial focus was

space surveillance Space domain awareness is the study and monitoring of satellites orbiting the earth. It involves the detection, tracking, cataloging and identification of artificial objects, i.e. active/inactive satellites, spent rocket bodies, or fragmentatio ...

. On 23 October 2000, the

527th Space Aggressor Squadron The 527th Space Aggressor Squadron is a United States Space Force unit assigned to the Space Training and Readiness Delta (Provisional). The unit traces its lineage to the 312th Bombardment Squadron (Light) constituted in 1942. It presents real ...

was activated as the first space aggressor unit. On 7 April 2000, the Space Warfare Center gained the

595th Test and Evaluation Group The 595th Command and Control Group is an active unit of the United States Air Force. It is organized under Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), and its operations are centered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It was activated in a cere ...

, which was redesignated as the

595th Space Group The 595th Command and Control Group is an active unit of the United States Air Force. It is organized under Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC), and its operations are centered at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. It was activated in a ceremo ...

on 1 August 2002. The 595th Space Group was originally activated in 1970 under the 6595th Aerospace Test Wing as the 6595th Missile Test Group, before being redesignated as the 6595th Test and Evaluation Group in 1988. Following its activation, the 17th Test Squadron and 576th Flight Test Squadron were realigned under the 595th Space Group. The 527th Space Aggressor Squadron was also realigned on 23 October 2002 and the 25th Space Control Tactics Squadron, renamed the

25th Space Range Squadron The 25th Space Range Squadron is a squadron (aviation), squadron of the United States Space Force. It is assigned to the Space Delta 11 at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado. The 25th operates the Space Test and Training Range along with t ...

, was activated under it on 1 July 2004. Following the 2001 Space Commission report, Air Force Space Command established the United States Air Force Space Operations School on 28 June 2001. It was realigned under the 595th Space Group on 23 October 2002 and renamed to the National Security Space Institute on 1 October 2004, being realigned directly under

. On 1 March 2006, the Space Warfare Center was redesignated as the Space Innovation and Development Center (SIDC). As part of this change, the 25th Space Range Squadron and 527th Space Aggressor Squadron were scheduled to be transferred to

, however only the 527th Space Aggressors Squadron transferred to the

57th Adversary Tactics Group The 57th Adversary Tactics Group (57 ATG) was the flying component of the 57th Wing, assigned to the United States Air Force Air Combat Command. The group was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, prior to being merged with the 57th Operat ...

. Instead, the Space Innovation and Development Center activated the

3rd Space Experimentation Squadron The 3rd Test and Evaluation Squadron (3 TES) (formerly 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron (3 SES)) is a space test and evaluation unit located at Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado. As part of the United States Air Force, the squadron was desc ...

on 10 March 2006, assigning it to the 595th Space Group. Starting in 2006, the Air Force began to move to close all of its battlelabs and on 2 November 2007, the Space Battlelab was inactivated. This was followed by the 576th Flight Test Group being reassigned to

Air Force Global Strike Command Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC) is a Major Command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, headquartered at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana. AFGSC provides combat-ready forces to conduct strategic nuclear deterrence and global stri ...

on 1 December 2009, as part of the transfer of missile responsibilities from Space Command to Global Strike Command. On 1 April 2013, the Space Innovation and Development Center, along with the 595th Space Group, were inactivated. The 3rd Space Experimentation Squadron was reassigned the

50th Space Wing The 50th Space Wing was the United States Space Force's space and cyber warfare wing. The 50th Space Wing was assigned to Space Operations Command and headquartered at Schriever Air Force Base. It was activated in 1949 as the 50th Fighter Win ...

. The remaining units were transferred to

, with the 17th Test Squadron becoming part of the 53rd Test Management Group and the 25th Space Range Squadron becoming part of the

Nevada Test and Training Range The Nevada Test and Training Range (NTTR) is one of two military training areas at the Nellis Air Force Base Complex in Nevada and used by the United States Air Force Warfare Center at Nellis Air Force Base. The NTTR land area includes a "simu ...

Resurrection as Space Training and Readiness Command

Space Force activates Space Training and Readiness Command 210823-F-CG053-1492

The first mention of STARCOM during planning for the Space Force was in a 18 March 2019 briefing given by Task Force Tango, a planning group within Air Force Space Command and its mission was finalized later that year. In December 2020, the Space Training and Readiness Command Task Force was created, with

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Shawn Bratton, an

Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia of each U.S. state, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the ter ...

officer, serving as planning lead and Chief Master Sergeant James P. Seballes senior enlisted leader. The creation of STARCOM was announced on 30 June 2020 as one of three

s in the Space Force. It was scheduled to be activated in 2021. In the interim, the

was activated on 24 July 2020 under Space Operations Command to consolidate the various space training and education units from the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

that was realigned to the Space Force. Reporting to

, STAR Delta (P) served as the precursor organization to STARCOM while its establishment was still being planned. On 23 August 2021, STARCOM was activated as the Space Force's first field command following the inactivation of STAR Delta (P). Brigadier General Shawn Bratton took command as the first commander of STARCOM and Chief Master Sergeant Seballes became its first senior enlisted leader. Following the activation of STARCOM, five subordinate

delta Delta commonly refers to: * Delta (letter) (Δ or δ), a letter of the Greek alphabet * River delta, at a river mouth * D ( NATO phonetic alphabet: "Delta") * Delta Air Lines, US * Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 Delta may also ...

s were also activated that serves as the main structure of the new field command.

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Peter J. Flores, who served as STAR Delta (P) commander, took command of

Space Delta 12 Space Delta 12 (DEL 12) is a United States Space Force unit responsible for space test and evaluation. It tests space systems and capabilities in support of weapon system acquisition, operational acceptance, and readiness. It was established on ...

. The field command's headquarters is temporarily located at

while its permanent headquarters will be selected following a base selection process.

Symbolism

Polaris Polaris is a star in the northern circumpolar constellation of Ursa Minor. It is designated α Ursae Minoris ( Latinized to ''Alpha Ursae Minoris'') and is commonly called the North Star or Pole Star. With an apparent magnitude that ...

symbolizes the guiding light of security and defending the space domain. This is the same star from the USSF logo. The delta is taken from the USSF Seal; the Delta evokes historic ties to the earliest days of the U.S. Air Force space community, and symbolizes change and innovation. The dark and light shades of grey within the delta embody the 24/7 operations of the Space Force, while the placement and upward orientation of the delta reveals the central role of the Space Force in defending the space domain. The handle of the bow is made from lightning in homage to the Space Warfare Center and Space Innovation and Development Center’s historic work to bring space to the fight in the

sea The sea, connected as the world ocean or simply the ocean, is the body of salty water that covers approximately 71% of the Earth's surface. The word sea is also used to denote second-order sections of the sea, such as the Mediterranean Sea, ...

air The atmosphere of Earth is the layer of gases, known collectively as air, retained by Earth's gravity that surrounds the planet and forms its planetary atmosphere. The atmosphere of Earth protects life on Earth by creating pressure allowing f ...

and

land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...

domains, and linking the same to STARCOM’s new role of developing and fielding forces to fight and win in the space domain. The constellations of Noctua and

Sagitta Sagitta is a dim but distinctive constellation in the northern sky. Its name is Latin for 'arrow', not to be confused with the significantly larger constellation Sagittarius 'the archer'. It was included among the 48 constellations listed by t ...

represent

Athena Athena or Athene, often given the epithet Pallas, is an ancient Greek goddess associated with wisdom, warfare, and handicraft who was later syncretized with the Roman goddess Minerva. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of ...

, the Greek Goddess of Wisdom and War. Noctua, Latin for owl, is a constellation which represents STARCOM’s wisdom in training, and Saggita, Latin for arrow, represents STARCOM’s constant readiness.

Structure

STARCOM is composed of five

s activated following the activation of the field command. Space Delta 1 is located at

Vandenberg Space Force Base Vandenberg Space Force Base , previously Vandenberg Air Force Base, is a United States Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1941, Vandenberg Space Force Base is a space launch base, launching spacecraft from th ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, while the other deltas have to undergo a permanent base selection process.

List of commanders

References

External links

{{USAF Space Command Field commands of the United States Space Force Military education and training in the United States Military units and formations established in 1993 1993 establishments in the United States Space warfare Military units and formations in Colorado Organizations based in Colorado Springs, Colorado Satellite operators