Lieutenant General Douglas Schiess has been confirmed as the next chief of space operations, succeeding General Chance Saltzman as the senior officer responsible for the US Space Force.
The US Senate confirmed Lt Gen Schiess on 6 August, clearing the way for him to become the third chief of space operations since the service was established in December 2019.
Lt Gen Schiess currently serves as deputy chief of space operations for operations and will assume command as the United States and its allies confront an increasingly contested space domain.
As chief of space operations, Lt Gen Schiess will also join the Joint Chiefs of Staff, providing the Space Force with a direct voice in the highest levels of US military strategic planning.
During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee in July, Lt Gen Schiess identified deterrence, resilience and maintaining the Space Force’s technological advantage as key priorities.
“It will be the honour of my professional career to lead the Guardians of the United States Space Force,” Lt Gen Schiess told senators.
“I will work tirelessly to ensure our Guardians are ready, our capabilities are resilient, our partnerships remain strong, and our service is worthy of the trust placed in us by the American people.”
Lt Gen Schiess said the increasingly contested nature of space meant the Space Force needed to ensure the broader US military could continue operating if its space capabilities came under attack.
“We must defend our nation’s space capabilities so that the Joint Force can project power; we must protect the Joint Force from space-enabled attack; and we must deliver the capabilities that the Joint Force needs to prosecute the full range of its missions,” he said.
Lt Gen Schiess will replace Gen Saltzman, who is preparing to retire after 35 years of military service.
Gen Saltzman welcomed the appointment, describing Lt Gen Schiess as an experienced leader with the vision required to guide the Space Force through its next phase.
The leadership transition comes as the US invests heavily in more resilient space architectures, including distributed satellite constellations, improved space-domain awareness and greater integration with commercial and allied space capabilities.
For Australia, Lt Gen Schiess’ appointment will be closely watched given the growing importance of cooperation between the two countries in space.
Australia is already a key US space partner, including through space-domain awareness, missile warning and deep-space surveillance initiatives.
Lt Gen Schiess will therefore take command of the Space Force at a pivotal point in its development, with the service increasingly shifting from providing space-enabled support to the broader Joint Force towards becoming a dedicated military force capable of operating and defending US and allied interests in an increasingly contested domain.
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