Lieutenant General DENNIS O. BYTHEWOOD Lt. Gen. Dennis O. Bythewood is the Commander, U.S. Space Forces – Space and United States Space Command’s Combined Joint Force Space Component Commander, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. Lt. Gen. Bythewood leads thousands of joint and combined personnel across 50 tactical units with a mission to command combat forces in space superiority operations to protect and defend, with allies and partners, United States Space Command’s Area of Responsibility and to deliver global space-enabled effects to the Joint Force. Lt. Gen. Bythewood plans and executes space operations through two command and control deltas and oversees five distinct and geographically dispersed operations centers, including the Combined Space Operations Center at Vandenberg SFB, California; the National Space Defense Center at Schriever SFB, Colorado; the Missile Warning Center at Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station, Colorado; the Joint Overhead Persistent Infrared Center at Buckley SFB, Colorado; and the Joint Navigation Warfare Center located at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. Lt. Gen. Bythewood entered the Air Force via the Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1992 upon graduating from the University of Vermont and transferred to the Space Force in 2021. He has commanded space operations at the squadron and group level and as Joint Task Force commander. He has served in a variety of acquisition leadership roles as a Materiel Leader, two-time System Program Director, and Program Executive Officer. Prior to his current position, Lt. Gen. Bythewood was the Special Assistant to the Chief of Space Operations, the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. EDUCATION 1992 Bachelor of Science, Electrical Engineering, University of Vermont, Burlington 1998 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, Ala. 2003 Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence 2004 Master of Business Administration, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs 2007 Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala., by correspondence 2013 Program Manager’s Course, Defense Acquisition University, San Diego, Calif. 2017 Executive Program Manager’s Course, Defense Acquisition University, Fort Belvoir, Va. 2021 Joint Forces Staff College, National Defense University, Norfolk, Va. 2023 Joint Flag Officer Warfighting Course, Maxwell AFB, Ala. 2023 CAPSTONE, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Va. ASSIGNMENTS 1. October 1992–June 1996, Range System Manager, 501st Range Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah 2. July 1996–August 1999, Electric Combat Analyst and Chief, Unmanned Air Vehicle Branch, Detachment 1, 31st Test and Evaluation Squadron, Kirtland AFB, N.M. 3. August 1999–June 2002, Chief, Test and Certification, System Test Division, Milstar Joint Program Office, Los Angeles AFB, Calif. 4. July 2002–October 2005, Chief of Engineering, Operations Support Flight Commander and Operations Officer, 4th Space Operations Squadron, Schriever AFB, Colo. 5. November 2005–July 2007, Chief, Military Satellite Communications Operations Branch, HAF/DCS, Air, Space and Information Operations, Plans, Requirements, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 6. August 2007–May 2009, Executive Officer, SAF/SO, Air Forces Smart Operations, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 7. June 2009–June 2011, Commander, Space Communications Operations Squadron, Network Operations Group, Mission Operations Directorate, National Reconnaissance Office, Los Angeles, Calif. 8. July 2011–July 2013, Materiel Leader, Space Based Infrared System Production, Infrared Space Systems Directorate, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif. 9. August 2013–June 2014, Director, Ground Frontiers Office, Ground Enterprise Directorate, National Reconnaissance Office, Chantilly, Va. 10. July 2014–June 2016, Commander, 50th Operations Group, Schriever AFB, Colo. 11. July 2016–December 2016, Special Assistant to the Director, Remote Sensing Systems Directorate, Los Angeles AFB, Calif. 12. December 2016–October 2018, Senior Materiel Leader and Director, Remote Sensing Systems Directorate, Los Angeles AFB, Calif. 13. October 2018–July 2020, Director, Space Development Corps and Program Executive Officer for Space Development, Los Angeles AFB, Calif. 14. July 2020–June 2021, Senior Materiel Leader and Director, Special Programs, Space and Missile Systems Center, Los Angeles AFB, Calif. 15. July 2021–November 2022, Deputy Commander, Joint Task Force-Space Defense, U.S. Space Command, Schriever Space Force Base, Colo. 16. November 2022–August 2023, Commander, Joint Task Force-Space Defense, U.S. Space Command, Schriever SFB, Colo. 17. August 2023–December 2023, Commander, Joint Task Force-Space Defense, U.S. Space Command Schriever SFB, Colo. and Deputy Commander, Combined Force Space Component Command, U.S. Space Command, Vandenberg SFB, Calif. 18. December 2023–July 2024, Deputy Commander, U.S. Space Forces, U.S. Space Command, Vandenberg SFB, Calif. 19. August 2024-October 2025, Special Assistant, Chief of Space Operations, the Pentagon, Arlington, Va. 20. November 2025–present, Commander, U. S. Space Forces – Space, U.S. Space Force; and Combined Joint Space Force Component Commander, U. S. Space Command, Vandenberg SFB, Calif. SUMMARY OF JOINT ASSIGNMENTS 1. July 2021–November 2022, Deputy Commander, Joint Task Force-Space Defense, U.S. Space Command, Schriever Space Force Base, Colo., as a brigadier general 2. November 2022–August 2023, Commander, Joint Task Force-Space Defense, U.S. Space Command, Schriever SFB, Colo., as a brigadier general 3. August 2023–July 2024, Commander, Joint Task Force-Space Defense, U.S. Space Command Schriever SFB, Colo. and Deputy Commander, Combined Force Space Component Command, U.S. Space Command, Vandenberg SFB, Calif., as a major general 4. November 2025-present, Combined Joint Force Space Component Commander, U.S. Space Command, Vandenberg SFB, Calif., as a lieutenant general MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS Legion of Merit with one oak leaf cluster Defense Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters Meritorious Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters Joint Service Achievement Medal Air Force Commendation Medal with oak leaf cluster (Current as of November 2025)