JANUARY 22, 2026 – The Space Force and U.S. Southern Command officially marked the activation of U.S. Space Forces Southern during a ceremony yesterday at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, formalizing the command’s role in integrating space capabilities across the Western Hemisphere.
Although the command became operationally effective Dec. 1, 2025, the ceremony formally recognized the activation with the assumption of command by Space Force Col. Brandon P. Alford, and the digital unveiling of the Space Forces Southern emblem, symbolizing the command’s mission and regional focus.
Space Forces Southern serves as the space component to Southcom, responsible for integrating space power with joint, interagency and multinational partners to support regional security, deterrence and stability across Central America, South America and the Caribbean.
“This new organization reaffirms our commitment to address local threats of all shapes and sizes, ranging from malign state actors to violent extremist organizations and to transnational criminal organizations,” said Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman. “Space Forces Southern will continue to be a force for good in the region, using space to maintain peace and stability and defend the homeland.”
Saltzman emphasized that space capabilities are not just support elements for the joint force, but a fully integrated and critical component in their own right.
“As we clearly saw in recent operations in the Southcom [area of responsibility], without space, kill chains don’t close, our strategic advantage evaporates and we can’t complete our joint missions,” Saltzman said.
As the first commander of Space Forces Southern, Alford said the activation reflects the growing operational importance of space to missions conducted daily in the Southcom area of responsibility.
“Today marks the beginning of a future that is more connected, more informed, agile and more united in building together to be more capable,” he said. “As the first commander of Space Forces Southern, I accept this responsibility with humility and optimism. I am confident that together we will shape a space domain that reflects our shared values and shared aspirations.
“We are not just standing up a command today,” he added. “Together, we are shaping the space domain so that what lies above us strengthens everything we value below.”
A career space professional, Alford brings extensive experience across the enterprise, including operational, instructional and staff assignments supporting missile warning, space control and joint space integration. Prior to assuming command, he served in senior leadership roles aligned with Southcom, providing continuity between the command’s initial operational capability and its formal activation.
The ceremony included the unveiling of the official Space Forces Southern emblem. The design features the Crux constellation, also known as the Southern Cross, to signify that the command is the space component focused on South America. It also has a lightning bolt to symbolize the speed and responsiveness of space-enabled support to joint and partner forces throughout the region.
In the Southcom area of responsibility, space-enabled capabilities support operations across vast distances and complex environments. Guardians secure satellite communications and provide positioning, navigation, timing and space-enabled awareness for counter-illicit trafficking operations, multinational exercises, partnership building and crisis response — strengthening regional stability and deterrence.
“The activation of Space Forces Southern affirms a simple and powerful idea: we are one hemisphere, stronger together,” Alford said. “Bound together by geography, values and a shared future above us — connected by shared challenges and shared opportunity.”
The ceremony was attended by War Department senior leaders including Air Force Lt. Gen. Evan L. Pettus, acting commander of Southcom acting commander; Air Force Maj. Gen. David Mineau, Air Forces Southern commander; and Undersecretary of the Air Force Matthew Lohmeier, underscoring the importance of space integration in support of joint and departmental priorities.
Headquartered at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Space Forces Southern will work closely with U.S. Space Command, Southcom, U.S. Northern Command, the Air National Guard’s State Partnership Program and international partners to enhance interoperability and strengthen space domain awareness throughout the region.
The activation marks another significant step in formally establishing space as a warfighting domain critical to joint operations, reinforcing security and stability across the Western Hemisphere.
By Andrea Jenkins
Air Forces Southern