US Space Command Attains Full Operational Capability

The U.S. Space Command announced at a town hall meeting on Friday that it has reached full operational capability.

Achievement of the status came after an in-depth evaluation of mission execution capabilities, including the capacity to accomplish the Unified Command Plan, SPACECOM said Friday.

Other criteria included employee skill levels, sufficient command and control infrastructure, proper implementation of command processes and the ability to “set the conditions and requirements for the future fight.”

U.S. Army Gen. James Dickinson, SPACECOM’s commander, said his organization was assessed on its ability to perform its mission “when [it is] needed the most.”

He explained that his command’s maturation was driven by growing space domain threats, such as rapidly increasing space debris and Chinese and Russian counter-space capabilities.

Dickinson added that SPACECOM will need more resources to enhance its capability to keep pace with such threats.

The news follows a joint doctrine update in October requiring the command to combat adversary space assets with direct or enabling capabilities such as satellites and ground stations.