The United States Space Force (USSF) decided on May 31 that it will train its Guardians for combat—and other operations in space—at a new headquarters next door to Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Governor Ron DeSantis announced the USSF’s Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM) headquarters will be established at Florida’s Patrick Space Force Base.
From the site, which is just a few miles south of the launch pads that sent the first man to the moon, USSF Guardians will be made combat-ready for space.
Patrick Space Force Base will also be home to the USSF’s Space Delta 10, which will be responsible for conducting and supporting wargames to train its forces and those of allied partners.
“With an unmatched aerospace infrastructure, military installations, and top tier academic institutions, Florida provides key collaborative partnerships that will advance space military operations right from our Space Coast,” Nunez said.
Space Florida said that it anticipates its STARCOM headquarters will bring an initial 350 to 500 personnel to the area—in both existing personnel and new job opportunities.
In addition, there is the potential for new commercial space and aerospace companies to come in to help meet Space Force’s needs.
The organization also expects the area to have thousands of people—affiliated with Space Force—visiting for training.
“We will be working with Space Force leadership in the coming weeks to discuss facility and workforce needs,” a Space Florida spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
“Florida is already home to the most active and best staffed launch site and a world recognized capital of simulation, modeling and digital domain and gaming technologies. Both are critical in the training and preparation of the nation’s next generation of Guardians.”
“STARCOM oversees all aspects of training, education, and the preparation of Guardians for potential conflict,” a spokesperson told The Epoch Times.
“From the very beginning, we oversee initial training programs like Space Force Basic Military Training and Initial Skills Training.
“But our involvement doesn’t end there. We continue to manage advanced professional military education for all Guardians, fostering their development and growth within their roles.”
Meanwhile, Space Delta 10 is in the mix to host the USSF’s in-depth training event called the Schriever Wargame, which incorporates a wide range of Government agencies, Department of Defense organizations, allies, and commercial partners to test new military space systems.
STARCOM told The Epoch Times that a final decision will be made by the Secretary of the Air Force after careful evaluation of the results of an Environmental Analysis. That analysis is currently underway.
Space Force chose two other locations across the country for other bases of operation as well: Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, and Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado.
But it is in The Sunshine State that the Space Force will build off a spaceward momentum more than 70 years in the making.
“From Project Mercury to today’s privatized spaceflight, Americans look to Florida’s Space Coast to see history in the making,” said DeSantis.
“We are honored to host the Space Training and Readiness Command headquarters and continue Florida’s history as America’s gateway to outer space.”
Named in 1950 after the trailblazing Maj. Gen. Mason Patrick, first chief of the Army Air Corps—which would eventually become the U.S. Air Force—the then-Patrick Air Force Base built its history alongside its nation’s development of space defense.
Permanent launch complexes were established in the 1950s and 1960s as part of the Eastern Missile Range, and they have been changed to serve every modification of the armed forces division responsible for missile and space defense—as well as the weapons themselves.
Capable of carrying warheads and satellites, these rockets had mythic names like Thor, Atlas, Titan, Delta, and now Falcon.
And its affiliation—often in coordination with neighboring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station—has included the Eastern Space and Missile Center (1979) and the 45th Space Wing (1991).
In 2019, Patrick Air Force Base became Patrick Space Force Base with the creation of the USSF.
Activities range from maintaining air and space defense, to hosting private launches such as SpaceX Starlink deployments and commercial resupply missions to the International Space Station.
In 2021, these partnerships amounted to $1.2 billion in economic benefits for the state, employing more than 10,000 personnel.
“This decision by the U.S. Air Force reflects the strategic importance of Florida in advancing national security and defense in space,” said Frank DiBello, president and CEO, Space Florida.
“Bringing STARCOM’s headquarters to Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is a significant milestone in Florida’s history and reaffirms our critical role in advancing the nation’s space and military capabilities.
“I want to thank USSF General Stephen Purdy for his commitment to helping build a space military operations hub in Florida.”
Space Florida worked in partnership with several private and public entities to campaign and bring STARCOM headquarters to Florida.
Those partners included Enterprise Florida, Florida Defense Support Task Force, Florida High Tech Corridor, National Center for Simulation, Team Volusia Economic Development Corporation, Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast, as well as the University of Central Florida, Florida Institute of Technology, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
While private enterprise appears to have an increasing dominance on the Space Coast, Enterprise Florida reports that space-focused military spending still accounted for more than 21 percent of the local economy in 2022, valued at more than $6.75 billion.
These Space Force developments come after top officials from the sixth and youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces warned about a dire threat to America’s dominance in space coming from Communist China.
