Air Force to elevate AFSPC vice commander role

Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson has directed the establishment of a new, three-star Air Force Space Command vice commander position that would be based in the national capital region.

Service spokesman Maj. William Russell confirmed the plan today, which was first reported by Space News.

The AFSPC vice commander has traditionally been a two-star general based at Peterson Air Force Base, CO. Russell did not immediately explain why the new role would be based at the Pentagon. However, the move comes just after Congress directed the Air Force to back away from plans to establish a new deputy chief of staff for space superiority, or A11, position.

Maj. Gen. David Thompson, most recently the AFSPC vice commander, had been tapped to fill that role. It's not clear whether he will transition to the new, elevated vice commander position.

Prior to the language in the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, which stood down the A11 office, the service had identified an initial staff of 43 military, civilian and contractor employees. Russell told Inside Defense those positions "will be realigned as part of the restructure and are in the process of being finalized."

"Regardless of the organizational structure, the Air Force will continue to integrate, elevate and normalize space operations in order to ensure we can deter and, if necessary, prevail in a war that extends to space," Russell said.