The Space Force appears to be embracing its inner Johnny Rico with a possible name change of one of its commands.
The service is considering changing Space Operations Command’s name to Combat Forces Command, pending Senate confirmation of its new commander, Space Force spokesperson Lt. Col. Victoria Porto said on Wednesday.
“The name change better reflects the field command’s critical responsibility as the Space Force’s proponent for combat space power, including generating and improving combat-ready forces to execute service and combatant command assigned missions,” Porto told Task & Purpose.
The command is tasked with generating and sustaining combat-ready intelligence, cyber and space forces and working with the rest of the U.S. government, allies, and commercial agencies to “project combat power in, from, and to space,” Porto said.
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Ars Technica first reported on Monday that Space Force was mulling the change, noting that Space Force Maj. Gen. Gregory J. Gagnon was recently nominated to receive his third star and lead U.S. Space Force Combat Forces Command, located at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado.
The command has not changed names yet, said a Pentagon official, who explained that if the name change is approved, it would take effect when Gagnon takes over.
Since it was founded in December 2019, the Space Force has not been associated with combat missions to the degree that other military branches are, such as the Marine Corps. Rather, the service has allowed the U.S. military to consolidate its satellite operations under one roof.
But space is becoming an increasingly dangerous place for American satellites, as evidenced by news in 2024 that Russia was developing a space-based weapon armed with a nuclear device that sounds a lot like the device that James Bond faced in “GoldenEye” — which was actually a movie before it became a popular videogame.
Chief of Space Operations B. Chance Saltzman has warned that China is investing in several types of counterspace weapons, including ground-based lasers.
The Space Force mission areas also include orbital warfare, electromagnetic warfare, and cyberspace warfare, showing that the service is as much part of the fight as the other military branches.
Still, Todd Harrison, of the American Enterprise Institute think tank, cautioned against reading too much into the possible name change.
“I think it’s semantics,” Harrison told Task & Purpose. “I don’t think it’s substantive.”
Harrison said he believes the Space Force is trying to embrace the type of language used by President Donald Trump’s administration, including Pete Hegseth, the Pentagon chief whose own title may be legally changed to secretary of war if Congress approves.
“There is a fair point that the name ‘Space Operations Command’ is a bit confusing with Space Command,” Harrison said. “So, it’s fair that they may want to disambiguate that. I think the fact that they’re putting ‘combat’ in the name is not a change in policy. I don’t think it reflects a sudden shift in capabilities. I think it’s just adopting the language of this administration.”
