--- title: "Space Force Special Operations Command is on its way" description: "The Space Force will have its own special ops component, Space Force Special Operations Command, under U.S. Special Operations Command." date: "2025-05-01" modified: "2025-05-01" authors: - name: "Matt White" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/matt-white.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/space-force-special-operations-command/" categories: - "Military Branches" - "News" - "Space Force" tags: - "Special Operations Forces Week 2026" --- # Space Force Special Operations Command is on its way ![Defenders from the 140th Security Forces Squadron, 460th SFS, 710th SFS, and 233rd SFS prepare for low-light firing during a heavy weapons meet at the Camp Guernsey firing range, Wyoming, April 4, 2025. The meet offered defenders valuable practice on several weapon systems to enhance overall readiness. (U.S. Space Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Hollis)]() *The Space Force will have its own special operations component under U.S. Special Operations Command: Space Force Special Operations Command. Space Force photo by Senior Airman Joshua Hollis.* Space Force already has at least one ['Space Ranger']() and several “Space Cowboys” who’ve completed [an infamous “spur ride” with 1st Infantry Division cavalry scouts](). But now the newest military service will have its own special operations component. [First reported by Hope Seck for Sandboxx News](), the smallest branch plans to stand up its own component inside U.S. Special Operations Command, or SOCOM, which oversees the missions and operations of elite units like Navy SEALs and Army Green Berets. The Guardians won’t be crawling through mud or eating snakes, but they will be teamed up with and work to support special operators under SOCOM’s operational control as part of Space Force Special Operations Command. "There is no definite timeline associated with the standup of other service components, including the Space Force service component to SOCOM, \[Space Force Special Operations Command\], but the Space Force will continue to identify requirements to meet the growing demands of combatant commanders’ space needs," a Space Force spokesperson told Task & Purpose. "Currently, there is a Space Force Special Operations Element at MacDill Air Force Base that supports SOCOM." [According to a March 26 statement for the record ]()of testimony before the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations, in 2025 SOCOM "established the Space Force Special Operations Command to deliver specialized space personnel and capabilities to our units responsible for campaigning, our \[theater special operations commands\]." A Space Force spokesperson clarified for Task & Purpose that while the command was technically "established" in 2025, it has not been stood up or fully manned. Though the air-conditioned control centers where Space Force guardians watch radar scopes and interpret intelligence signals don’t immediately bring to mind the grubby reality of special ops missions, leaders in the special operations world have long seen space ops as their next frontier. The Army’s top special operations commander, [Lt. Gen. Jonathan P. Braga](), has made a habit of appearing at conferences and other public events with [his counterparts who command the Army’s space and cyber commands](). Teaming up the brawniest troops with the techiest, Braga said, will be a key in future conflicts. “The Cyber-Space-SOF Triad provides one of these solutions,” Braga said[ in an Army release](). “It is a ‘Modern-Day Triad’ designed to converge unique accesses, capabilities, authorities, understanding and effects in many of the same ways we have implemented combined arms operations.” In other words, when special ops guys go charging into a fight, they want as much space-based intel and as many sneaky digital tricks as possible. The service is also establishing components to support other commands. "The Space Force is standing up service components to the combatant commands, with six service components activated thus far including \[U.S Space Forces - Indo-Pacific\], \[U.S. Space Forces - Central\], \[U.S. Space Forces - Europe and Africa\], \[U.S. Space Forces - Space\], \[U.S. Space Forces - Korea \], and \[U.S. Space Forces - Japan\]," a Space Force spokesperson told Task & Purpose. "These standups are a critical step in normalizing the presentation of space forces and providing clarity of command relationships, roles, and responsibilities in the Joint Force and across all theaters." ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **Marine in** [**top enlisted spot**]() **leaving the Pentagon after just 2 years** - **Army sergeant** [**found guilty**]() **in spree of barracks break-ins and attempted murder** - [**End of the ‘yeet’**]()**: the standing power throw is out as new Army fitness test goes ‘sex-neutral’ for combat jobs** - **Good luck figuring out the Air Force’s algorithm for** [**shaving waivers**]() - **Army** [**cuts athletic trainers**]() **from fitness teams, with medics to take up slack** ## Author Matt White is a senior editor at Task & Purpose*.* He writes on news, people and events that affect the lives of those in the Army, Air Force and Space Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. He also helps direct and edit coverage across Task & Purpose’s newsroom. He has written widely on military aviation and mishaps, service members with unique stories, and special operations including [combat search and rescue](). Got a story to tell? You can reach Matt at [matthew.white@taskandpurpose.com]() ### Author social links [Facebook]()