Our Mission
S4S, with its Allies and partners, commands combat forces in space superiority operations to protect and defend USSPACECOM’s Area of Responsibility and to deliver global space-enabled effects to the Joint Force.


S4S mission - Protect, Defend, Deliver, Connect

S4S Featured Stories
S4S Current News
U.S. Space Force Col. James T. Horne III, Space Launch Delta 30 commander, and his spouse Emilie, wave at attendees the Lompoc Flower Festival parade in Lompoc, California, June 27, 2026. SLD 30, Vandenberg's host unit, supports West Coast launch activities for the Space Force, Department of War, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, national programs and various private industry contractors. Leadership from U.S. Space Forces – Space and SLD 30 participated in the parade and celebrated America's 250th birthday. (U.S. Space Force photo by Airman 1st Class Ian Hawkes)
Lompoc Flower Festival Parade 2026
By Airman 1st Class Ian Hawkes | June 29, 2026
Leadership from U.S. Space Forces – Space and Space Launch Delta 30 participate in the Lompoc Flower Festival parade and celebrate America's 250th birthday in Lompoc, California, June 27, 2026...

U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Dennis O. Bythewood, left, U.S. Space Forces-Space (S4S) commander and Combined Joint Force Space Component commander, passes the guidon to USSF Col. Samuel Opelaar, right, incoming Space Delta 5 commander, during a change of command ceremony at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., June 18, 2026. Oppelaar assumes command of DEL 5 to lead its mission of delivering space effects to achieve theater and global objectives, managing the command-and-control functions presented to U.S. Space Command to accomplish the Combined Space Operations Center (CSpOC) mission. (U.S. Space Force photo by David Dozoretz)
Col. Oppelaar Assumes Command of Space Delta 5
By Stacie Shafran | June 25, 2026
U.S. Space Force Col. Samuel R. Oppelaar III assumed command of Space Delta 5 on June 18, 2026, succeeding Col. Justin E. Sorice during a ceremony presided over by Lt. Gen. Dennis O. Bythewood, U.S. Space Forces-Space (S4S)...

U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Dennis Bythewood, U.S. Space Forces-Space (S4S) and Combined Joint Force Space Component commander, and S4S senior leaders pose for a group photo during a leadership planning event at Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif., May 20, 2026. The two-day event brought together commanders and senior enlisted leaders to align command strategy, build cohesive teams, and strengthen warfighting readiness. (U.S. Space Force photo by David Dozoretz)
U.S. Space Forces-Space Senior Leaders Align Command Strategy, Warfighting Readiness
By Stacie Shafran | June 8, 2026
U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Dennis Bythewood, S4S commander and the Combined Joint Force Space Component commander for U.S. Space Command, hosted a two-day leadership planning event here May 19-20, 2026. He gathered senior...

Service members salute during the National Anthem and presentation of the American flag at Military Appreciation Day during the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo in Santa Maria, Calif., May 31, 2026. The event honored military members and veterans while highlighting the longstanding partnership between Vandenberg Space Force Base and the Central Coast community. The annual Santa Maria Elks Rodeo is celebrating its 83rd year in 2026. The annual rodeo brings together competitors and spectators from across the Central Coast for a weekend of western sports and entertainment, including bull riding, horseback competitions, lasso contests, mutton busting, and more. (U.S. Space Force photo by Airman 1st Class Olya Houtsma)
Santa Maria Elks Rodeo 2026
By Space Launch Delta 30 Public Affairs | May 31, 2026
Members of Team Vandenberg participated in Military Appreciation Day at the Santa Maria Elks Rodeo in Santa Maria, Calif., May 31, 2026...
U.S. Space Command News
Center, Cmdr. Heather Thomas, integration branch chief for U.S. Space Command, has a conversation with commercial mission partners at U.S. Space Command’s second Apollo Insight Commercial Integration wargame series in Colorado Springs, Colorado, June 24, 2026. This iteration of the four-part series focused on maneuver warfare in the space domain and provided different scenarios and taskings. Participants engaged in joint strategies, refined communications, and spurred innovative ideas for future capabilities from the commercial sector. USSPACECOM, working with allies and partners, plans, executes, and integrates military spacepower into multi-domain global operations in order to deter aggression, defend national interests, and when necessary, defeat threats.
USSPACECOM hosts second wargame series focused on maneuver warfare in the space domain
By | June 29, 2026
U.S. Space Command held its second Apollo Insight Commercial Integration wargame series on June 24, 2026...

Gen. Francis L. Donovan, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), addresses attendees of the Space Conference of the Americas 2026 at SOUTHCOM headquarters in Doral, Florida, April 28, 2026. SOUTHCOM is hosting the conference April 28-30, 2026, bringing together senior leaders, space agencies, industry experts, and academic partners from across the Western Hemisphere to advance regional cooperation in space. (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Paul Cook)
SOUTHCOM, SPACECOM Highlight Vital Role of Space in Western Hemisphere Security
By | May 6, 2026
Two top U.S. military generals highlighted the vital role of space capabilities in enabling U.S. and partner nation efforts to address shared threats in the Western Hemisphere during their opening remarks at the Space...

Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, and Lt. Gen. James Adams, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, cut the ribbon during an official ribbon-cutting ceremony on Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, April 29, 2026. During the ceremony, Whiting announced the command’s operational control of the facility. “Today, we cut the ribbon on more than just a building,” Whiting said. “This facility represents a critical step forward for U.S. Space Command. This is where we plant our flag for the first operational element of our headquarters - the Joint Intelligence Support Element - here at Redstone Arsenal.” (Courtesy photo)
U.S. Space Command Takes Operational Control of Facility at Redstone Arsenal
By | April 29, 2026
During an official ribbon-cutting ceremony, Gen. Stephen Whiting, Commander of U.S. Space Command, announced the command’s operational control of a facility located on Redstone Arsenal, April 29, 2026, in Huntsville, Alabama...