PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. (AFNS) -- As delivered by U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman Jan. 9, 2024.
Well, good morning, everyone. Guess its afternoon now. Did we change the time today?
To all the generals, commanders, chiefs, community leaders, distinguished guests, as we say in Kentucky I happy to have all y’all here.
Thank you very much for joining us today.
It’s always great to be here in Colorado, not because you could be shoveling a foot of snow in the morning, and then wearing shorts and sandals in the afternoon – which we’ve seen transition of the last two days.
But, it’s just an honor to be here to celebrate the leadership of Lieutenant General Stephen Whiting as he transitions to U.S. Space Command and recognize Lieutenant General David Miller, Jr. as he takes command of Space Operations Command.
To Tammy and Sam, I am excited to be here celebrate with you and your families.
Thank you both for sharing your husbands with us over these many years of service.
But more importantly, having known both of you for nearly a couple of decades … of course, we appreciate all that you do to support Stephen and Dave, your families, and this nation … but thanks for just being great people … thanks for being fun to be around and just making every room you are in a little brighter … thank you.
Let me give a warm welcome to all the proud members of the Whiting and Miller families who are with us today and joining us online.
It’s wonderful to have you here to celebrate this special occasion.
And, as always, it's great to be here with the exceptional men and women of the Space Operations Command.
You are our combat-ready forces – trusted with the crucial responsibility of addressing and responding to the strategic challenges of the domain and you are ready to protect America and our allies in, from, and to space … now and into the future.
You are America’s space warfighters – Always Ready, Always Innovative, and Always Above.
Because of you, I remain confident that we are well positioned to outcompete our rivals, deter aggressors and defeat our enemies.
Without you, there is no Space Force. So, let's have a round of applause for the incredible work the men and women of SpOC are doing.
[Applause]
Ladies and gentlemen, as most of you know, we just celebrated our fourth birthday in the U.S. Space Force – and lot of things have changed in the service since December of 2019.
The service has a new emblem, new flag and new uniform which are visual reminders of our distinct set of responsibilities.
We have four new core values, which represent who we are as Guardians.
And we have stood up new units and brought on new missions – all with the mission of Securing our Nation’s Interests In, From, and To Space.
But in the last four years, a few things have remained constant.
First, the Space Force continues to protect the security and prosperity of the domain for all who wish to use it.
Second, Space Operations Command continues its relentless pursuit of combat ready forces.
And third, SpOC has been led by its first and only commander, General Stephen Whiting.
However, in a few moments, we will bear witness to the mantle of leadership transferring from one great leader to another.
All the authority, responsibility and accountability will pass from General Whiting to General Miller with a simple salute.
And this is a huge responsibility. SpOC generates, presents and sustains combat-ready intelligence, cyber, space, and combat support forces.
These Guardians provide combat power projection, information mobility, space domain awareness for this service and for the joint force.
This team's many historic achievements in the three short years since its stand-up are a testament to the leadership of your commander, General Stephen Whiting.
I have known and worked closely with Stephen for nearly 20 years.
We were side by side in the Joint Space Operations Center in 2007 when the Chinese demonstrated their infamous destructive anti-satellite missile capability. At the time, we knew the world was changing and that the test would become a key date in the modern military space history.
What we didn’t know at the time was that it would set in motion discussions and activities that would culminate in the establishment of the Space Force.
Over the past three years, SpOC has accomplished some pretty incredible feats – milestones that would take other organizations decades to complete.
SpOC was able field combat-ready forces by activating 13 new space deltas and over 50 detachments and squadrons.
Organizations solely focused on functions and missions in order to streamline operations – all while continuing to oversee space operations and serve as the service component to United States Space Command.
And during that time, SpOC operationally accepted two Space-Based Infrared Missile Warning Satellites, two Advanced Extremely High Frequency MILSATCOM satellites, two GSAP Space Domain Awareness satellites, and four GPS satellites.
They also consolidated all Military Satellite Communication and Missile Warning Missions in the entire Department of Defense under our single military service.
These capabilities represent a service prepared to control the space domain, with force, if necessary, as part of a joint force – and none of that would be possible without the talented and innovative Guardians from SpOC and the leadership of General Whiting.
To go a step further, those units have created a warfighting culture based upon actions in the domain and support provided to the joint force.
In 2019, this dedicated team tracked a Russian satellite that deployed a secondary object which moved in close proximity to a high-value U.S. satellite.
After seven months on orbit, that second satellite launched a third satellite, a tactic now we talk about as the nesting doll.
In 2020, SpOC Guardians detected multiple missiles from Iran targeting the Al-Asad Air Base in Iraq where U.S. troops were stationed.
Before those missiles impacted, Guardians had delivered life-saving warning to U.S. units on the ground where more than 300 Americans were warned, resulting in zero loss of life.
Finally, in response to Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in 2022, SpOC Guardians forward deployed to the United States European Command theater in support of NATO.
Additionally, SpOC surged forces and capabilities to report missile warning, battle space awareness, and technical intelligence to U.S. European Command and U.S. Space Command.
The space-based infrared platforms provided intelligence and minute-by-minute updates to the intelligence community, national decision makers, and our NATO allies.
The timely reporting allowed U.S. leaders to share intelligence vital to the Ukrainian resistance.
This is just a small list of some of the phenomenal things SpOC has done over the past three years.
Stephen, your dedication, strategic vision and unwavering commitment to excellence has propelled SpOC forward, setting a remarkable precedent for all of us to follow.
Tammy, I know Stephen believes you deserve enormous credit, maybe all the credit, by providing him with the support he needs to lead and serve SpOC and our Space Force so faithfully.
Along the way, you have both raised two wonderful children: Chase and Ally.
I know that you’re both incredibly proud of their accomplishments, both to their families and the Nashville community.
Stephen and Tammy, as you transition to U.S. Space Command, I want you to know that your efforts as the inaugural Commander here made a real difference in where the Space Force is today, and all SpOC’s success are because of your steady hands.
For those in the audience, I think you will struggle to find a finer officer, mentor and teammate than Stephen Whiting.
[Applause]
Now, as we bid farewell to one era, we eagerly welcome another.
Today, we inaugurate a new chapter in the history of the Space Force as we entrust the responsibility of leading SpOC to General David Miller, Jr.
With a proven track record of accomplishments and a steadfast dedication to our mission, Rock embodies the qualities and values needed to lead SpOC to the next stage of evolution.
I first met Rock in 2001, at the U.S. Air Force Weapons School.
At the time, I was an instructor and Rock was a student.
For those of you that don’t know, the Weapons School is a very intense six-month course focusing on turning officers into expert instructors charged with integrating space into warfighting operations.
In an environment like that, relationships between students and instructors can be let’s just say “intense” at times.
But it’s evident even way back then that Rock had a very bright future ahead of him.
He was thoughtful, dedicated and responded to pressure with grace and poise.
I always enjoyed sharing a heated debate with Rock and I always walked away learning something.
For those of you who haven’t known Rock as long as I have, in his youth, believe it or not he was not as patient, reserved and mild-mannered as he is today … I don’t know if that’s true or not.
I’ve had many loud and heated discussions with him over the years only to realize that we were in complete agreement on the topic.
But always behind the passion … Rock demonstrated deep analytic skills and commitment to excellence that cannot be ignored.
Since our days at the Weapons School, he has proven to be successful as an operator, as an instructor, commander, mentor, and a leader.
He is ideally suited – and fully prepared – to pick up where General Whiting is leaving off, and I am confident that he will continue to advance SpOC toward its goals.
In his recent assignment, as director of operations at U.S. Space Command, Rock provided advice, counsel and expertise to the combatant commander and other staff directors.
His influence also helped the Space Force enhance the way it organizes, trains, and equips forces.
He also pushed the bounds of integrating space policy and guidance and coordinating space-related activities for his command, the service, and the Department of Defense.
And this makes him the perfect choice to lead the generation, presentation, and sustainment of combat-ready intelligence, cyber, space and combat support forces as the new SpOC commander.
We welcome Rock, his wife Sam, their incredible children and the rest of their extended family that flew in to celebrate.
You all deserve to be extremely proud of all that David has accomplished … and for the trust the nation has placed in him to lead this important organization.
The challenges before us are immense, but so too are the opportunities.
From advancing our technical prowess to enhancing our capabilities in the domain, we must remain at the cutting edge of innovation.
Our ability to adapt, to stay ahead of emerging threats and to seize new frontiers will be instrumental to maintaining our superiority in space in this era of great power competition.
These challenges will be expertly addressed because of our Guardians and the missions they execute under the SpOC.
Rock, you are charged with taking SpOC to the next level, building on the accomplishments Stephen and his team cultivated while finding new and innovative ways to build combat-ready forces, amplify the Guardian spirit, and partner to win.
I have every confidence you will do just that carrying out your duties with the character, commitment, connection, and courage you have demonstrated every day throughout your career. I expect nothing less.
To the Whiting and Miller families along with the men and women of SpOC, thank you again for your dedication to the mission of securing our nation’s interests in, from, and to space and for your continued service to the Space Force and to our nation.
Semper Supra!