The Space Force describes global mission operations as allowing the rest of the U.S. military to defend the air, land, and sea.

The U.S. Air Force created the first military space organization in the world, establishing the Western Development Division in 1954 and placing it under the command of General Schriever.

[14] The Air Force was recognized as the lead military service for space by the early 1960s, with the Army and Navy operating in supporting roles.

General Curtis LeMay described strong parallels between World War I aviation and 1960s space operations, noting how quickly flying evolved from chivalric and unarmed reconnaissance flights to combat efforts designed to destroy enemy air superiority.

Although the Air Force made significant progress in developing the X-20 spaceplane, Manned Orbiting Laboratory, and Blue Gemini, opposition from the Department of Defense prevented operational fielding.

In November 1968, the Central Intelligence Agency reported a successful satellite destruction simulation performed by the Soviet Union as a part of its Istrebitel Sputnikov anti-satellite weapons research programme.

[21] Despite these setbacks, the Air Force did successfully field the Program 437 anti-satellite weapon system, which used nuclear Thor missiles to intercept and destroy enemy spacecraft.

These two moves, along with the Strategic Defense Initiative's establishment by President Ronald Reagan, led to a renaissance of military space operations in the 1980s.

[27] In 2000, Senator Smith led Congress in establishing a commission to examine the organization and management of national security space.

The Rumsfeld Commission noted the strong risk of a "Space Pearl Harbor," harking back to Imperial Japan's surprise attack on the U.S. Pacific Fleet in 1941.

[30][31][32] In the aftermath of the Chinese ASAT test, Congress tasked the Allard Commission to reevaluate the Defense Department's space organization and management.

[27] It took until 2017 for members of Congress to act on the recommendations of the Rumsfeld and Allard commissions to create a Space Corps within the Department of the Air Force.

[33][34] However, the proposal was resurrected in 2018 when President Donald Trump publicly endorsed the creation of a Space Force and directed the Defense Department to reverse its opposition and develop plans for its establishment.

[39] On 3 April 2020, Chief Master Sergeant Roger A. Towberman became the Space Force's second member and was appointed its first senior enlisted leader.

[42][43][44][45] The Space Force also began to build out its culture and identity, however, it experienced several public relations challenges due to its perceived ties to science fiction and links to President Trump.

[62][63] In 2023, it assumed responsibility for the Army's Joint Tactical Ground Station, putting all space-based missile warning under the Space Force.

[65] In 2021, the Russian Federation conducted an anti-satellite weapons test, destroying the Kosmos 1408 and putting the International Space Station at risk.

[66] The Space Force is organized into a headquarters staff that provides leadership and guidance for the force; field commands that are responsible for organizing, training, and equipping Guardians; deltas that support field commands and are specialized by mission area; and squadrons which specialize in acquisitions, cyberspace operations, engineering, intelligence, and space operations.

[9] The Space Force's three field commands (FLDCOM) are purpose-built for specific activities, aligning to the various institutional responsibilities to organize, train, and equip Guardians.

Direct reporting units (DRU) are hubs of innovation and intelligence expertise within the Space Force, providing new ideas or deep knowledge about highly specialized issues.

It also directed the Secretary of Defense to conduct a periodic review to determine when to recommend the President seek legislation to establish the Department of the Space Force.

This provision was included in the Trump Administration's original legislative proposal to give the Space Force additional independence and autonomy but was removed by the Senate.

[86][87] The U.S. Space Force and its antecedents have a long history of cooperation with NASA, as the lead government agencies for military and civil spaceflight.

[104] The Space Force and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) jointly operate the military's weather satellites.

[159] Professional military education is conducted at Space Training and Readiness Command's Forrest L. Vosler Non-Commissioned Officer Academy.

Noncommissioned officer insignia feature traditional chevrons and the "Delta, Globe, and Orbit," representing the totality of the Space Force.

These orbital chevrons signify the higher levels of responsibility and willingness to explore and innovate placed upon senior noncommissioned officers.

The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) is intended to track objects in geosynchronous orbit with three sites, one in the United States, one in the Indo-Pacific, and one in Europe.

Much how GPS started as a military program and was opened to civilian use, Space Force provided space-based solar power could transition to common use as well.

[197] The Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3), building on the Space Force's Global Positioning System constellation, is an Air Force Research Laboratory spacecraft that will operate in geosynchronous orbit to test advanced techniques and technologies to detect and mitigate interference to positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities and increase system resiliency for military, civil, and commercial users.