List of active duty United States Space Force general officers

Lt Gen Saltzman being presented with the very first three-star flag in the U.S. Space Force during his promotion, 14 August 2020.

This is a list of active duty United States Space Force general officers. There are 25 active duty general officers in the U.S. Space Force: three generals, five lieutenant generals, eight major generals, and nine brigadier generals. All of them transferred from the United States Air Force. Space Force general officers, like in other U.S. armed services, are nominated by the president of the United States and confirmed by the Senate.

List of generals

U.S. Space Force general flag

See also: List of United States Space Force four-star generals and List of active duty United States four-star officers

No.	Portrait	Name	Date of rank	Current position	Ref
1	B. Chance Saltzman	B. Chance Saltzman	2 November 2022	Chief of Space Operations	[1]
2	Michael A. Guetlein	Michael Guetlein	21 December 2023	Vice Chief of Space Operations	[2]
3	Stephen N. Whiting	Stephen Whiting	10 January 2024	Commander, United States Space Command	[3]

List of lieutenant generals

U.S. Space Force lieutenant general flag

See also: List of United States Space Force lieutenant generals and List of active duty United States three-star officers

No.	Portrait	Name	Date of rank	Current position	Ref
1	Philip A. Garrant	Philip Garrant	2 August 2022	Commander, Space Systems Command	[4]
2	DeAnna M. Burt	DeAnna Burt	1 December 2022	Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear	[5]
3	Douglas A. Schiess	Douglas Schiess	6 December 2023	Commander, United States Space Forces – Space and Combined Joint Space Force Component Commander, United States Space Command	[6]
4	Shawn N. Bratton	Shawn Bratton	22 December 2023	Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Strategy, Plans, Programs, and Requirements	[7]
5	David N. Miller Jr.	David N. Miller	9 January 2024	Commander, Space Operations Command	[8]

List of major generals

U.S. Space Force major general flag

No.	Portrait	Name	Date of rank	Current position	Ref
1	Christopher S. Povak	Christopher Povak	29 September 2022	Deputy Director, National Reconnaissance Office and Commander, Space Force Element to the National Reconnaissance Office	[9]
2	Steven P. Whitney	Steven P. Whitney	29 September 2022	Director of Staff	[10]
3	Gregory J. Gagnon	Gregory Gagnon	29 September 2022	Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Intelligence	[11]
4	Stephen G. Purdy Jr.	Stephen G. Purdy	1 December 2022	Military Deputy, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration	[12]
5	D. Jason Cothern	D. Jason Cothern	6 December 2023	Program Executive for Ground-Based Weapon Systems, Missile Defense Agency	[13]
6	Troy L. Endicott	Troy Endicott	6 December 2023	Director of Global Space Operations, United States Space Command	[14]
7	Timothy A. Sejba	Timothy Sejba	6 December 2023	Commander, Space Training and Readiness Command	[15]
8	Dennis O. Bythewood	Dennis Bythewood	3 May 2024	Deputy Commander, United States Space Forces – Space	[16]

List of brigadier generals

U.S. Space Force brigadier general flag

No.	Portrait	Name	Date of rank	Current position	Ref
1	Todd R. Moore	Todd R. Moore	2 September 2021	Deputy Commander, Space Training and Readiness Command	[17]
2	James E. Smith	James E. Smith	3 July 2022	Assistant Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear	[18]
3	Devin R. Pepper	Devin Pepper	2 September 2022	Deputy Commanding General (Operations), Space Operations Command	[19]
4	Anthony J. Mastalir	Anthony Mastalir	1 October 2022	Commander, United States Space Forces – Indo-Pacific	[20]
5	Brian D. Sidari	Brian Sidari	2 October 2022	Director, Intelligence, United States Space Command	[21]
6	Jacob Middleton Jr.	Jacob Middleton Jr.	23 December 2022	Deputy Director for Operations, Joint Staff	[22]
7	Robert J. Hutt	Robert Hutt	8 July 2023	Director, Plans and Programs, Office of the Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Plans, Programs, Requirements, and Analysis	[23]
8	Kristen L. Panzenhagen	Kristin Panzenhagen	16 December 2023	PEO for Assured Access to Space, Director of Launch and Range Operations, Space Systems Command, Commander, Space Launch Delta 45, and Director, Eastern Range	[24]
9	Matthew S. Cantore	Matthew Cantore	1 February 2024	Chief, Current Operations Division, United States Space Command	[25]

List of pending appointments

Portrait	Name	Current position	New assignment	Status	Ref
For Major General
James E. Smith	Brigadier General James E. Smith	Assistant Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations, Cyber, and Nuclear	—	Confirmed by the Senate, 2 May 2024	[26]
For Brigadier General
Chandler P. Atwood	Colonel Chandler Atwood	Director of Intelligence, Space Operations Command	—	Confirmed by the Senate, 31 January 2024	[27] [28]
Brian A. Denaro	Colonel Brian Denaro	Senior Military Assistant, Under Secretary of the Air Force	—	Confirmed by the Senate, 31 January 2024	[27] [28]
Robert J. Schreiner	Colonel Robert Schreiner	Commander, Space Delta 20 and Aerospace Data Facility-Colorado	—	Confirmed by the Senate, 31 January 2024	[27] [28]
Zachary S. Warakomski	Colonel Shay Warakomski	Senior Cyber Officer, United States Space Force	—	Confirmed by the Senate, 31 January 2024	[27] [28]

History

Number of general officers

Major General Burt (left) is sworn into the Space Force, May 2021, transferring from the U.S. Air Force.

Before the establishment of the Space Force, the Space Force Planning Task Force considered two different scenarios or models for the number of general officers in the new service: the lean and demanding models. The lean Space Force model called for 41 general officers with three generals, six lieutenant generals, 12 major generals, and 20 brigadier generals. The demanding Space Force model, on the other hand, has 45 general officers with three generals, six lieutenant generals, 13 major generals, and 23 brigadier generals. ^[29]

By August 2020, General John W. Raymond noted that there would only be 21 general officers in the Space Force. ^[30] In 2022, this was codified by the James M. Inhofe National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023, specifying the number of statutory billets in each rank: two generals, five lieutenant generals, six major generals, and eight brigadier generals. It also required that a minimum of six Space Force general officers be assigned at joint duty assignments. ^{[31] [32]}

Asked by the United States Senate Committee on Armed Services whether the 21 general officer billets in the Space Force are sufficient, Lieutenant General B. Chance Saltzman, in his written statement in 2022, responded that it is not sustainable. He believes that it is not sufficient to sustain the two four-star posts in the service and effectively represent the Space Force in the Joint Staff and the unified combatant commands. ^[33] He hopes to increase the number of general officers to 36: two generals, six lieutenant generals, 12 major generals, and 16 brigadier generals. ^[34]

Transfers from the Air Force (2020–2021)

Brigadier General Devin R. Pepper, the first prior-enlisted and African American general officer in the Space Force, speaks during his promotion ceremony, 2021.

The Space Force was established by redesignating the United States Air Force's Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) as the United States Space Force on 20 December 2019. Thus, the very first general officers in the Space Force were general officers in the Air Force's space operations and space acquisitions career fields. Immediately after the establishment of the Space Force, then-AFSPC commander, General John W. Raymond, was appointed as the first chief of space operations. He then became the first member of the new service, and hence the very first general officer in the Space Force. ^[36]

By July 2020, four U.S. Air Force major generals were nominated for transfer to the Space Force and promotion to lieutenant generals. ^[37] On 14 August 2020, then-Major General B. Chance Saltzman transferred to the Space Force and was promoted to lieutenant general, becoming the service's lieutenant general and the first general officer promoted in the new service. ^[38] Three days later, then-Major General Nina Armagno also transferred to the Space Force and was promoted to lieutenant general, becoming the service's first female general officer. ^[39]

On 1 October 2020, then-U.S. Air Force lieutenant general David D. Thompson transferred into the Space Force and was promoted to general, becoming the first to hold the office of vice chief of space operations. ^[40]

In April 2021, three U.S. Air Force major generals and six brigadier generals were nominated for transfer into the Space Force, all of them career space professionals working either space operations or space acquisitions. ^{[41] [42]} On May 7, 2021, Major General DeAnna Burt transferred to the Space Force, becoming the first major general of the service. ^[43]

General Raymond (left) administers the oath of office to Brigadier General Gregory Gagnon, the first non-career space operations or space acquisitions officer general officer in the Space Force, during his first transfer ceremony, 2021.

On 19 October 2021, U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Gregory Gagnon transferred into the Space Force after volunteering. A career intelligence and cyber officer, he is the first general officer of the service who is a non-career space professional, or not coming from either space operations or space acquisitions career fields. ^[44]

First direct promotions and expansion (2021–present)

The Space Force had transferred 17 general officers from the Air Force. By October 2021, after the transfers from the Air Force, the Space Force had 21 general officers: two generals, six lieutenant generals, three major generals, and 10 brigadier generals. This included the first officers promoted into general officer ranks since the creation of the service. In January 2021, four colonels were nominated for promotion to brigadier general, becoming the first Space Force general officers who were promoted directly as brigadier generals in the service. ^[45]

In 2022, the number of major generals in the Space Force doubled from three to seven. Five colonels were nominated for promotion to brigadier general, bringing the total number of general officers to 24. ^[46]

Timeline

5

10

15

20

25

30

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2024

•   Brigadier generals
•   Major generals
•   Lieutenant generals
•   Generals

Historical firsts

• John W. Raymond, first general and first chief of space operations
• B. Chance Saltzman, first lieutenant general and the first general officer promoted into the Space Force
• Nina Armagno, first female general officer
• John E. Shaw, first general officer with a joint duty assignment
• DeAnna Burt, first major general
• Gregory Gagnon, first general officer from a non-space professional career field
• Dennis Bythewood, first existing Space Force officer promoted to general officer ^{[lower-alpha 1]}
• William Liquori, first Space Force general officer to retire
• Shawn Bratton, first general officer to have come from the Air National Guard
• Devin Pepper, first prior-enlisted general officer

See also

• List of United States Space Force four-star generals
• List of United States Space Force lieutenant generals

References

Notes

1. Not transferring from the Air Force as a general officer

Sources

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