Space Command Chief Nominee Moves to Senate Floor


Air Force Space Command chief Gen. Jay Raymond speaks to the Air Force Information Technology and Cyberpower Conference in Montgomery, Ala., on Aug. 28, 2017. Air Force photo by Melanie Cox.

The Senate Armed Services Committee on June 12 voted to confirm Gen. Jay Raymond as head of the revived US Space Command and reapproved him to lead Air Force Space Command, according to a SASC press release.

His nomination now heads to the full Senate for approval.

The Trump administration decided to stand up US Space Command as a unified combatant command with a singular focus on space warfighting.

If a Space Force is created using the Senate’s proposed language, Raymond would simultaneously lead both the combatant command and the new organization within the Air Force for one year.

The House Armed Services Committee does not include similar language. Raymond took the helm at AFSPC in October 2016.