MacDill Air Force Base To House Central Command Arm Of Space Force

TAMPA, FL — U.S. Central Command at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa has officially joined the defense arm of the national space program.

Central Command, responsible for military operations in the Middle East and South Asia, announced that it has activated U.S. Space Forces - Central at MacDill Air Force Base, abbreviated SPACECENT.

The national space program will operate under Central Command with its permanent headquarters at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa. The new organization will be responsible for some space operations, including the navigation of satellites, communications in space and missile warnings.

The new space program at MacDill will be staffed by 28 service members and commanded by Col. Christopher Putman. MacDill officials said it will play a significant role in supporting the country’s growing need for space-based capabilities.

The U.S. Space Force launched in 2019 as a separate service branch under the Air Force umbrella. Its primary focus is ensuring the safety and operation of space-based assets such as satellites, and providing early warnings of incoming ballistic missiles.

“Space underpins every element of warfighting in the CENTCOM region,” said Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla during a ceremony on Friday. “Since the Cold War, space has ceased to be a sanctuary. It is no longer solely the realm of progress and peace."

Central Command's area of responsibility encompasses more than 4 million square miles and 560 million people on three continents. The area stretches from Northeast Africa across the Middle East to South Asia, “among the least secure and stable places in the world," Kurilla said.

The SPACECENT personnel, known as Guardians, will also work with coalition and regional partners to integrate space activities while it organizes, trains and equips space forces to protect U.S. and allied interests in space.

Preparations for launching SPACECENT began on Feb. 1, 2021, when eight airmen from the U.S. Air Force's 6th Air Refueling Wing transferred to U.S. Space Force, becoming the first Guardians at CENTCOM.

The first airman from 6th Air Refueling Wing to take the oath was Sgt. Dylan Johnson.

“I am excited to be shaping the culture of a new military service,” said Johnson, a 6th Command Squadron mission defense analyst. “But at the same time, it’s strange because the Air Force has been my life for the past four and half years.”

He said it's a history-making step.

“My grandfather joined the Air Force in 1949 as a fighter pilot two years after its inception,” said Johnson. “Now I’m joining the Space Force two years after its inception and I am proud to have followed in his footsteps while making some of my own.”

The branch also conducts operations from Patrick Space Force Base in Cape Canaveral.

Florida officials have long sought to expand Space Force’s presence in the state.