The legacy of Space Systems Command began in 1954, when the U.S. Air Force was looking for a location to develop its space capabilities. The Air Force found that Los Angeles County had the right combination of a technically skilled workforce and a military presence for an urgent program to develop missiles, launch vehicles, and satellites during the height of the Cold War.
Over the past seven decades, the division, originally formed as the Air Force Western Development Division by Air Force Gen. Bernard Schriver and a Space Forces field command since 2021, has become the lead organization responsible for acquiring and delivering capabilities to protect U.S. strategic interests in space, including managing the Department of Defense’s $15.6 billion space acquisition budget.
“The Cold War and the Space Race (eras) are very similar to what we have today, with great power competition — we have to use innovation and game-changing technologies to do that, and that’s the heritage and legacy that SSC has and brings to the fight,” said Gen. Philip A. Garant, commander of Space Force, during an Aug. 13 celebration of the 70th anniversary of the command and its Western Development Division. He said the command’s success in an era of competition with other nations in space depends on its unique mix of active duty rangers, airmen and civilian personnel.
“We know we’re going to have to keep up with game-changing technologies and we know we’re going to need great space acquisition leaders like you to fight this fight,” Garant told the crowd at Los Angeles Air Force Base, where SSC is headquartered, and at virtual SSC operating sites across the United States. “I’m excited to be your leader and watch you grow and prepare for our upcoming anniversary, and all that SSC has to offer the warfighter. Semper Supra!”
With a workforce of more than 15,000 personnel at 29 sites, the SSC presence enhances deterrence. The command expects to support more than 150 launches in 2024 and up to 200 in 2025.
During the celebration event, 15 SSC individuals and teams from across the command received awards for their achievements in a variety of areas across project management, space acquisition innovation, and time and budget savings on projects to deliver new capabilities to the command. These accomplishments are examples of the type of capabilities the personnel have delivered in the three years since the command was established in 2021, said Col. Michelle K. Edel, SSC deputy commander.
“It’s been three years since we started this adventure called Space Systems Command, and the environment is as challenging as it was when we started,” said Edel, who is responsible for managing research, design, development, acquisition and sustainment of space and missile systems. “The frontier hasn’t calmed down — it’s evolved.”
Speaking about today’s great power competition environment, Edel also discussed the growth of both China’s and Russia’s space capabilities in recent years, and the potential threats they could pose to U.S. military and civilian space operations. China’s space program has grown to become second only to the United States, surpassing Russia, in terms of satellites in orbit.
“They are also investing heavily in counterspace capabilities, with the goal of posing a serious threat to our capabilities,” Edel told a packed crowd at Los Angeles Air Force Base. “And Russia is right behind them… They are researching, developing, testing, and upgrading counterspace systems; again, they are trying to disrupt and degrade the systems that we put out there to provide our way of life and our warfighters.”
In addition to the third anniversary of Space Systems Command and the 70th anniversary of the Western Development Division, the service is also celebrating the fifth anniversary of Space Force, as well as the 10th (2024) inauguration of the Shriver Wall of Honor, a memorial at Los Angeles Air Force Base named after General Shriver to honor America’s astronauts. A reception for the event is scheduled for Sept. 26 at Space Systems Command headquarters.
