ORLANDO, Fla. –
In his first major public speaking engagement since taking command, Lt. Gen. Dennis Bythewood, commander of U.S. Space Forces–Space, emphasized the command’s focus on space superiority, operational campaigning, and joint integration during a fireside chat Dec. 12, 2025, at the Space Force Association’s Spacepower Conference.
As the Space Force component to U.S. Space Command, S4S is responsible for planning, integrating, conducting and assessing global space operations in support of combatant commanders worldwide.
“We are in charge of making sure that we can gain and attain and maintain to the point of necessary space superiority as our first and foremost mission,” Bythewood said. “Beyond that, it is disrupting red kill chains and maintaining blue kill chains. We look at that as protect, defend, deliver, and connect.”
During the fireside chat, Bythewood was joined by Lt. Gen. Greg Gagnon, commander of Combat Forces Command, which is responsible for organizing, training and equipping Space Force forces for employment. Together, the two leaders discussed how force generation and operational execution are aligned to deliver combat-credible space effects in support of U.S. Space Command and combatant commanders worldwide.
The two generals went through ROTC together at Detachment 865 in Vermont in the early 1990s and have maintained a close professional relationship throughout their careers, a foundation that now supports the operational partnership between force generation and employment.
Bythewood noted that the space domain is increasingly contested, with China, Russia, and other space actors putting space weapons into orbit and looking to contest the U.S. ability to execute operations daily. As a result, S4S campaigns day to day to deliver space effects in support of joint and combined operations across all domains.
Bythewood emphasized that effective space operations depend on close coordination with maneuver forces across the joint force.
“The interactions between the maneuver forces in theater that our space components are supporting and the space-based forces that we drive every day is critical,” Bythewood said. “If they’re not synced in time and tempo, then operations don’t happen.”
Bythewood also highlighted how S4S operates in a contested electromagnetic spectrum as part of modern space operations. “We know that it’s going to be an extremely rough electromagnetic environment as we conduct any operations,” he said.
A key focus for S4S is how forces maneuver within that environment to preserve freedom of action and deny advantages to adversaries.
“One of the big key tenets is how are we maneuvering in the electromagnetic spectrum in order to conduct operations,” Bythewood said.
Looking forward, Bythewood described integration as a defining priority for S4S, both internally and across the joint and combined force.
“Integration is both the integration of our own forces and integration with other component commands across the board,” he said.