TAMPA, Fla. — The U.S. Space Force is activating its new command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa on Friday.

What You Need To Know

  •  SPACECENT reports directly to CENTCOM leaders

  •  The new organization actives Friday

  •  SPACECENT will be responsible for satellite-based navigation and missile detection

  • Will include 28 Space Force guardians

The new command, known as SPACECENT, will report directly to U.S. Central Command leaders and take responsibility for all space-based operations under CENTCOM.

SPACECENT will be responsible for components like satellite-based navigation, missile detection and communications with troops in the CENTCOM region. 

CENTCOM is headquartered at Mac Dill Air Force Base and has spent the last couple of decades heading up military operations throughout the Middle East and parts of Asia.

The new organization will be led by Col. Christopher Putman and include 28 U.S. Space Force guardians when it launches Friday.

“With the establishment of the Space Force a couple of years ago, one of the things we needed to do was establish a component to execute the space mission and take care of our guardians assigned to all the combatant commands,” Putman explained.

SPACECENT’s role will be to help integrate space across all branches and domains.

“SPACECENT will help the overall mission by integrating space capabilities with all the components across the combatant command so not just the air component, but the Navy component, the Marines and the army components, just to ensure that space is integrated across all of our operations,” Putman said.

This is the culmination of about two years of planning. The U.S. Space Force was established in 2019 as a separate military service within the Department of the Air Force.