In recent days we have all heard about the new branch of the military that, to some, might seem like something that comes straight out of a sci-fi story. This new branch is called The U.S. Space Force (USSF) and will be a part of the U.S. AirForce. This new fighting force was established on December 20, 2019, with the enactment of the Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act. The USSF’s primary mission is to protect the U.S. and allied interests in space and provide space capabilities to the joint forces. Does that sound familiar? Because it’s not the first time we have seen something like this in our history.

On September 23, 1985, the U.S. established a similar outfit called the United States Space Command (USSPACECOM or SPACECOM). The space command served as a combatant command with control of the AirForce, Army, and Navy’s forces. After the 9/11 attacks, the focus on space switched over to homeland defense and counter-terrorism, which made the need for the United States Space Command slightly useless. The Space Command become one entity with the U.S. Strategic Command. Around 2006 this was replaced by the Joint Functional Component Command for Space. Seven years later, this would become Joint Space Component Command. It wasn’t until 2019 that the USSPACECOM became reestablished by the Trump administration with all full responsibilities for space war-fighting.

The question now that I have heard from different places is why do we need a Space Command and a Space Force, isn’t that the same thing? According to Gen. John E. Hyten, the 11th Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the USSPACECOM is a combatant command entrusted with managing and engaging combat operations. The newly established Space Force is composed of trained service members.

An example would be that the Army trains soldiers and support service members, and those service members would then fight under the command of one of the nation’s unified combatant commands.