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                                          20/12/19

 SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

 1000 DEFENSE PENTAGON

WASHINGTON, DC 20301-1000

MEMORANDUM FOR CHIEF MANAGEMENT OFFICER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

SECRETARIES OF THE MILITARY DEPARTMENTS

CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF UNDER SECRETARIES OF DEFENSE

 CHIEF OF THE NATIONAL GUARD

BUREAU COMMANDERS OF THE COMBATANT

 COMMANDS GENERAL COUNSEL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

 DIRECTOR OF COST ASSESSMENT AND PROGRAM EVALUATION INSPECTOR

GENERAL OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

 DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONAL TEST AND EVALUATION

CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR LEGISLATIVE AFFAIRS

ASSISTANT TO THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS

DIRECTOR OF NET ASSESSMENT DIRECTORS OF DEFENSE AGENCIES

DIRECTORS OF DOD FIELD ACTIVITIES

 SUBJECT: Establishment of the United States Space Force The Fiscal Year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act establishes the United States Space Force as a new Armed Force within the Department of the Air Force.

The creation of the U.S. Space Force is the most significant reorganization of the Department of Defense (DoD) since the Goldwater-Nichols DoD Reorganization Act of 1986, and the first new Armed Force since the United States Air Force was authorized by the National Security Act of 1947.

Establishing the U.S. Space Force will elevate the role of space in our national defense and transform how DoD organizes, trains, and equips in order to prepare for new security challenges in an era of great power competition. Standing up the U.S. Space Force as a new Armed Force will require commitment, time, and focus across the entire DoD. Under my guidance, direction, and oversight, the Secretary of the Air Force will lead implementation of this legislation with the support of all DoD Components. The long-term vision of DoD remains to consolidate the space forces of all Armed Forces into the U.S. Space Force, as appropriate and authorized.

 The Secretary of the Air Force will build upon planning efforts to date in order to rapidly and effectively stand up the U.S. Space Force, subject to law. The Department has the opportunity to build a new Armed Force guided by joint principles but with a mission and culture unique to space operations. First, the U.S. Space Force will cultivate space domain-specific expertise and serve as the DoD proponent of and advocate for spacepower.

 The U.S. Space Force will develop and integrate into the Joint Force the space doctrine, capabilities, and personnel our Nation needs to outpace future threats. Second, the U.S. Space Force must be effective and efficient. It will remain mission-focused by leveraging infrastructure of the U.S. Air Force, except in performing those functions that are unique to space or central to the independence of the new Armed Force. Third, the U.S. Space Force will not be limited to existing organizational models. It will be built from the ground up with a focus on speed, agility, and partnerships within DoD, within the U.S. Government, with allies and international partners, and with the private sector.

 Finally, the space acquisition enterprise should be rationalized as the U.S. Space Force is established.

I expect the full support of all DoD Components in implementing this historic reorganization of DoD space forces. The Secretary of the Air Force shall provide me with regular progress reports on the stand-up of the U.S. Space Force and the Deputy Secretary of Defense will lead regular Space Governance Committee meetings.

The success of the U.S. Space Force is vital to our Nation’s ability to compete, deter, and win.

*Source: US Department of Defense