As the U.S. Space Force continues to find its place, the Department of the Air Force this week announced three military sites it would prefer to house the Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) Headquarters and the three Space Force Deltas.
STARCOM is one of three U.S. Space Force field commands. It’s responsible for the development, education and training of space personnel, from doctrine to tactics, techniques and procedures, along with the evaluation of related systems. If the Air Force has its way, the command would be located at Patrick Space Force Base in Florida, alongside Space Delta 10, which handles the development of doctrine and tactics, along with wargames, for the Space Force and its partners.
Additionally, in the announcement were Space Delta 11 and Space Delta 12. Respectively, the Air Force pushed for them to be located at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico and Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado. Space Delta 11 handles rangers and aggressors, offering informed test and training environments that range the live and virtual. Space Delta 12 deals with test and evaluation of capabilities, as well as the delivery of information to support weapon system acquisition, operational capabilities and readiness decisions.
Preferences for each were established by surveys of each site to determine their capabilities and viability related to mission, infrastructure capacity, community support, environmental factors and cost. The next step will be environmental impact analyses at each base, which should conclude later this year.