United States Space Force (USSF)
Executive Profile (BLUF)
The United States Space Force is the sixth and newest branch of the US Armed Forces, established December 2019 as the world’s first independent military space service. Its core mission is to organize, train, and equip forces for space operations — protecting US and allied satellite assets, providing space-enabled capabilities to joint forces, and deterring adversary use of space as a military domain. USSF operates under the Department of Defense and works closely with United States Space Command (USSPACECOM) and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) within the broader US space intelligence-military architecture. Its formation reflects the US assessment that space is a warfighting domain in which China and Russia have developed credible anti-satellite (ASAT) and electronic warfare capabilities.
Key Relationships
- Department of Defense — parent department; budget authority
- United States Space Command (USSPACECOM) — combatant command that uses USSF forces for operational missions
- National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) — classified satellite intelligence collection; USSF provides operational support
- SpaceX — primary commercial launch provider; Starlink integration for resilient space architecture; Starshield military variant
- National Security Agency (NSA) — space-enabled SIGINT collection
- China — People’s Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF, space/cyber mission) identified as primary space competitor
- Russia — demonstrated ASAT capability (Cosmos-1408 test, 2021); directed-energy and electronic warfare threats