[World Building] A Future History of Space Force

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by thrash

Apologies for being a bit pedantic, that's not what happened. If anything, USSF was spun off from the US Air Force.

US Space Command (SPACECOM) still exists as a multi-service combatant command under DOD, like EUCOM or SOUTHCOM. It has service component commands from most of the armed forces (NAVSPACECOM, ARSPACE, etc.)

US Space Force (USSF) is a separate uniformed service under the Department of the Air Force, much like US Marine Corps under the Department of the Navy.

Technically, USSF provides forces and capabilities to SPACECOM, which is responsible for executing the DOD mission in space. There are things that USSF does that SPACECOM doesn't, however, and vice versa.

So you have chosen pedantry?

There have been three iterations of US Space Command:

• SPACECOM (1982-1985) was an Air Force command.
• SPACECOM (1985-2002) was a joint command which included the previous SPACECOM, renamed AFSPACECOM.
• USSPACECOM (2019-present) is a joint command that includes the former AFSPACECOM, renamed SpOC and now a primary component of the USSF.

NAVSPACECOM was disbanded in 2002 (along with the second SPACECOM) and what portions of its mission didn't go to AFSPACECOM went to the newly activated NETWARCOM, which is now U.S. Fleet Cyber Command (and part of USSPACECOM).
ARSPACE became US SSDC in 1992 and US SMDC in 1997.