Space Operations Command at Peterson Space Force Base is now Combat Forces Command. 

The name change that was made official Monday ditches the Star Trek-reminiscent acronym SpOC and helps convey the command’s mission.

“The name change better reflects the Field Command’s critical responsibility as the Space Force’s proponent for combat space power, including generating and improving combat-ready forces to execute Service and Combatant Command assigned missions,” the Space Force said in a statement.

Lt. Gen. Gregory Gagnon also took over leadership of Combat Forces Command on Monday and will lead 12,000 Space Force guardians in the role.  

Gagnon is a career intelligence officer and will replace Lt. Gen. David Miller, who was nominated to become deputy chief of space operations for strategy, plans, programs and requirements. 

While a news release about the ceremony was not shared online possibly because of the government shutdown, Gagnon has shared some of his insights into space and leadership publicly, including when he addressed a group of students during a Future Space Leaders Foundation talk last year. 

At the time, he was the deputy chief of space operations for intelligence and spoke broadly about the U.S. lead in space and how U.S. investments in space compare to China, among other topics..

“Our strength in space, where we have an overwhelming lead, is in commercial space. … How many countries can launch every week? How many countries can drop with high reliability 56 to 66 satellites out on one launch?” he asked, giving rhetorical examples of our nation’s strength in space. 

Most U.S. satellites are focused on communication that provides low-cost internet and phone access worldwide, Gagnon said.

“So the United States economy, left to its own devices, is trying to connect the world,” he said.  

Meanwhile, more than half of China’s satellites are focused on intelligence and remote sensing.

“Our largest competitor is moving to use outer space for remote sensing so that they can see the world and spy on the world,” Gagnon said. 

In a recent fact sheet, the Space Force noted that China has more than 510 intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance satellites, and it is testing space-based quantum capabilities that could be used in an ultra-secure communications network. 

In addition to the external competition, the Space Force is working to implement a new model for integrating part-time guardians into its ranks and recently absorbed missions previously handled by the National Guard.