Photo By Van Ha | Attendees of the Space Systems Command activation ceremony listen as U.S. Space Force...... read more read more
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LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., -- Members of U.S. Air and Space Force leadership, community and industry partners, and Airmen and Guardians gathered to celebrate as the Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) was officially redesignated as Space Systems Command (SSC), the second of three field commands for the U.S. Space Force (USSF), Aug. 13.
SSC is responsible for developing, acquiring and fielding lethal and resilient space capabilities for warfighters.
Additionally, SSC will be responsible for launch, developmental testing, and on-orbit checkout, sustainment, and maintenance of USSF space systems as well as oversight of USSF science and technology activities. Acquisition and development offices assigned to SMC, the Commercial Satellite Communications Office, and the 30th and 45th Space launch missions will form the building blocks of the new command.
U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond presided over the ceremony and expressed his excitement for this next chapter in space history.
“As we unfurl the Space Systems Command flag and begin a new chapter in space history, let’s reflect on the parallels between past and present,” Raymond said. “The great team here at SMC has already been changing the culture and moving faster, so I know SSC will rise to the challenge and continue this trend.”
“Today, as we create Space Systems Command, we do so to provide our nation an advantage,” he stated. “We continue our path to flatten bureaucracy, to delegate more authority to our leaders, strengthen our ability to work with both our international and commercial partners as we drive unity of effort inside the U.S. Space Force and across the broader Department of Defense.”
Lt. Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, who received his third star prior to the redesignation ceremony, will serve as the first-ever commander of the U.S. Space Force field command.
Guetlein previously served as Deputy Director for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), where he assisted in managing the strategic and tactical operations of the NRO, and, as commander of the Space Force Element, managed all Air Force personnel and resources assigned to that agency.
Addressing the men and women of SSC for the first time, Guetlein shared his vision for the future of space acquisition.
“As we transition into the new structure of this field command, we will be utilizing new tools, processes, and authorities to enable better communication and faster execution across the enterprise,” said Guetlein. “Our processes aren’t perfect but iteration, over incremental change, is how we move with agility and speed into the future.”
“As we all know, the space domain has become congested and contested, with a massive increase in both commercial and military systems being placed on-orbit by dozens of countries,” he continued. “We cannot afford to stop, or even slow down, our rate of improvement.”
Noting that the U.S. Space Force is the youngest and smallest service across the Department of Defense, Guetlein emphasized the critical role SSC will play across the space enterprise.
“SSC has to continue to provide capability at the speed of relevance,” he said. “If we do not tackle our mission head on, we will fail our mission and our warfighters and allies will very quickly find themselves on their heels.”
“I know the sacrifices you have all made for your teams and this nation,” he continued. “I thank each of you for continuing to serve. I’m proud to be a part of this team, this Field Command, and this mission – I challenge each and every one of you to embrace the transition to SSC and the acquisition culture shift we are instilling as if the future of our nation relies on it…because in many ways, it absolutely does.”
| Date Taken: | 08.13.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 08.13.2021 15:48 |
| Story ID: | 403075 |
| Location: | LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US |
| Web Views: | 266 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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