Space Systems Command Undergoes Restructuring

The U.S. Space Force has restructured the Space Systems Command to better integrate programs and combat space-based threats.

Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein, commander of the Space Systems Command, said the changes follow the successes of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office, the National Reconnaissance Office and the Missile Defense Agency in reorganizing their acquisition organizations. SSC now has program executive offices for assured access to space; battle management command and control; space domain awareness and combat power; communications and positioning, navigation and timing; and space sensing, Defense News reported.

USSF will also add new offices that will develop standards and specifications for connecting programs across the space enterprise, join all SSC initiatives for commercial services, focus on partnerships with allies and establish liaisons with combatant commands. In terms of leadership, Guetlein has been designated as the space system-of-systems integrator and will be an adviser on all space-related decisions within the Department of the Air Force.

The move is the third major change to the SSC since 2019. The first restructuring effort was done under former Space and Missile Systems Center Commander John Thompson, who moved the organization from a mission-centered model to an enterprise model. In the summer of 2021, SMC was restructured to what is now the Space Systems Command.

According to Guetlein, SSC was first set up to speed up acquisition and address emerging threats. With the new structure, PEOs will oversee the entire lifecycle of their programs and will be in a position to integrate their objectives across other programs in their mission areas.

The reorganization follows lawmakers’ concerns about the Space Force taking too much time in defining a new space development and deployment system. In a report accompanying the fiscal year 2022 House spending bill, lawmakers stated that the establishment of the SSC did not resolve overlapping roles, responsibilities and authorities for the Air Force Department’s space acquisition.