This is a list of active duty United States Space Force general officers. There are 30 active duty general officers in the U.S. Space Force: four generals, three lieutenant generals, 10 major generals, and 12 brigadier generals. Among the 29, 22 of them serve in positions in the Space Force, while eight serve in joint positions. 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.
No. | Portrait | Name | Date of rank | Current position | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | B. Chance Saltzman | 2 November 2022 | Chief of Space Operations | [1] |
2 | ![]() | Michael Guetlein | 21 December 2023 | Direct Reporting Program Manager, Office of Golden Dome for America | [2] |
3 | ![]() | Stephen Whiting | 10 January 2024 | Commander, United States Space Command | [3] |
4 | ![]() | Shawn Bratton | 31 July 2025 | Vice Chief of Space Operations | [4] |
No. | Portrait | Name | Date of rank | Current position | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | Philip Garrant | 2 August 2022 | Commander, Space Systems Command | [5] |
2 | ![]() | Douglas Schiess | 6 December 2023 | Commander, United States Space Forces – Space and Combined Joint Space Force Component Commander, United States Space Command | [6] |
3 | ![]() | David N. Miller | 9 January 2024 | Commander, Space Operations Command | [7] |
No. | Portrait | Name | Date of rank | Current position | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | Christopher Povak | 29 September 2022 | Deputy Director, National Reconnaissance Office and Commander, Space Force Element to the National Reconnaissance Office | [8] |
2 | ![]() | Steven P. Whitney | 29 September 2022 | Director of Staff | [9] |
3 | ![]() | Gregory Gagnon | 29 September 2022 | Special Assistant to the Chief of Space Operations | [10] |
4 | ![]() | Stephen G. Purdy | 1 December 2022 | Military Deputy, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration | [11] |
5 | ![]() | D. Jason Cothern | 6 December 2023 | Program Executive for Ground-Based Weapon Systems, Missile Defense Agency | [12] |
6 | ![]() | Troy Endicott | 6 December 2023 | Vice Director for Joint Force Development, Joint Staff | [13] |
7 | ![]() | Timothy Sejba | 6 December 2023 | Special Assistant to the Vice Chief of Space Operations | [14] |
8 | ![]() | Dennis Bythewood | 3 May 2024 | Special Assistant to the Chief of Space Operations | [15] |
9 | ![]() | Devin Pepper | 20 June 2024 | Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategy, Plans, and Policy, Allied Command Transformation | [16] |
10 | ![]() | James E. Smith | 21 June 2024 | Commander, Space Training and Readiness Command | [17] |
11 | ![]() | Anthony Mastalir | 25 July 2025 | Director of Global Space Operations, United States Space Command | [18] |
No. | Portrait | Name | Date of rank | Current position | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | ![]() | Brian Sidari | 2 October 2022 | Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Intelligence | [19] |
2 | ![]() | Jacob Middleton Jr. | 23 December 2022 | Commander, United States Space Forces – Europe and Africa | [20] |
3 | ![]() | Robert Hutt | 8 July 2023 | Deputy Program Manager, Office of Golden Dome for America | [21] |
4 | ![]() | Kristin Panzenhagen | 16 December 2023 | In transit | [22] |
5 | ![]() | Matthew Cantore | 1 February 2024 | Deputy Commander, Space Training and Readiness Command | [23] |
6 | ![]() | Brian Denaro | 1 February 2024 | Commander, United States Space Forces – Indo-Pacific | [24] |
7 | ![]() | Shay Warakomski | 7 June 2024 | Assistant Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations and Nuclear | [25] |
8 | ![]() | Robert Schreiner | 12 June 2024 | In transit | [26] |
9 | ![]() | Nick Hague | 27 June 2025 | Astronaut, NASA | [27] |
10 | ![]() | Nikki Frankino | 30 June 2025 | Legislative Liasion of the United States Space Force | [28] |
11 | ![]() | Casey Beard | 30 June 2025 | Deputy Commander, Space Operations Command | [29] |
12 | ![]() | Todd Benson | ~15 August 2025 | Commander, United States Space Forces – Central |
Portrait | Name | Current position | New assignment | Status | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
For Lieutenant General | |||||
![]() | Lieutenant General David N. Miller | Commander, Space Operations Command | Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Strategy, Plans, Programs, and Requirements | Nomination sent to the Senate 2 September 2025 | [30] [31] |
![]() | Lieutenant General Douglas Schiess | Commander, United States Space Forces – Space and Combined Joint Space Force Component Commander, United States Space Command | Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Operations | Nomination sent to the Senate 2 September 2025 | [30] [31] |
![]() | Major General Gregory Gagnon | Special Assistant to the Chief of Space Operations | Commander, U.S. Space Force Combat Forces Command | Nomination sent to the Senate 2 September 2025 | [30] [31] |
![]() | Major General Steven P. Whitney | Director of Staff | Director, Force Structure, Resources, and Assessment, Joint Staff | Nomination sent to the Senate 2 September 2025 | [30] [31] |
For Major General | |||||
![]() | Brigadier General Robert Hutt | Deputy Program Manager, Office of Golden Dome for America | — | Confirmed by the Senate 29 June 2025 | [32] |
![]() | Brigadier General Brian Sidari | Deputy Chief of Space Operations for Intelligence | — | Confirmed by the Senate 29 June 2025 | [32] |
For Brigadier General | |||||
![]() | Colonel Robert W. Davis | Deputy Director for Operations, Joint Staff | — | Confirmed by the Senate 29 June 2025 | [33] [34] |
![]() | Colonel Christopher Fernengel | Director, Commander's Action Group, United States Space Command | — | Confirmed by the Senate 29 June 2025 | [33] [34] |
![]() | Colonel Matthew Holston | Director, Personnel Management Act Integration Office | — | Confirmed by the Senate 29 June 2025 | [33] [34] |
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. [35]
By August 2020, General John W. Raymond noted that there would only be 21 general officers in the Space Force. [36] 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. [37] [38]
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. [39] He hopes to increase the number of general officers to 36: two generals, six lieutenant generals, 12 major generals, and 16 brigadier generals. [40]
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. [42]
By July 2020, four U.S. Air Force major generals were nominated for transfer to the Space Force and promotion to lieutenant generals. [43] 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. [44] 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. [45]
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. [46]
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. [47] [48] On May 7, 2021, Major General DeAnna Burt transferred to the Space Force, becoming the first major general of the service. [49]
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. [50]
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. [51]
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. [52]