Space Force Activates Special Operations Command in Tampa

MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) --

U.S. Space Forces Special Operations Command, or SPACEFOR-SOC, formally activated, Nov. 2, as the newest service component of U.S. Special Operations Command.

Headquartered at MacDill Air Force Base, SPACEFOR-SOC organizes and presents specialized forces - known as SOF Guardians - to Theater Special Operations Commands and Joint Task Forces worldwide.

"The Guardians of SPACEFOR-SOC are shaping how our special operations leaders see the world through the space domain lens, bringing critical, cutting-edge space expertise directly to the combatant command headquarters," said Chief of Space Operations Gen. Douglas Schiess. "When special operators go into harm's way, they do so with the confidence that the Space Force is securing the ultimate high ground to enable the Joint fight."

The activation establishes SPACEFOR-SOC as the dedicated Space Force service component to USSOCOM, joining Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps special operations components as USSOCOM's first new service component since 2006. The command, which took administrative effect Oct. 7, is commanded by Col. Peter Norsky.

"For the SOF enterprise, this activation provides an enduring and accountable way to integrate space power into special operations," said USSOCOM Commander Adm. Frank Bradley. "For the Space Force, it provides a direct operational connection to one of the Joint Force's most demanding mission sets."

The command deploys small, modular teams integrating space, cyber, and intelligence specialists to deliver mobile, low-signature space capabilities in contested and communications-degraded environments.

"Today's ceremony celebrates an enduring commitment that the Space Force has made to present specially trained SOF Guardians, equipped with SOF-peculiar space capabilities, to USSOCOM," Norsky said. "These Guardians, assigned to SOF formations in Space Special Warfare Teams, will be capable of integrating Guardian power at scale across the SOF enterprise."