The U.S. Space Force and U.S. Southern Command (SOUTCHOM) officially marked the activation of Space Forces Southern (SPACEFOR-SOUTH) during a ceremony at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, January 21, 2026, formalizing the command’s role in integrating space capabilities across the Western Hemisphere.
Although SPACEFOR-SOUTH became operational on December 1, 2025, the ceremony formally recognized the activation with the assumption of command by U.S. Air Force Colonel Brandon P. Alford, and the digital unveiling of the SPACEFOR-SOUTH emblem, symbolizing the command’s mission and regional focus.
SPACEFOR-SOUTH 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 U.S. Space Force General Chance Saltzman, chief of Space Operations. “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.”
Gen. 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 [region], without space, kill chains don’t close, our strategic advantage evaporates, and we can’t complete our joint missions,” Gen. Saltzman added.
As the first commander of SPACEFOR-SOUTH, Col. Alford said the activation reflects the growing operational importance of space to missions conducted daily in the Western Hemisphere.
“Today marks the beginning of a future that is more connected, more informed, agile, and more united in building together to be more capable,” Col. Alford 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,” added Col. Alford. “Together, we are shaping the space domain so that what lies above us strengthens everything we value below.”
A career space professional, Col. 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 a digital unveiling of the official SPACEFOR-SOUTH emblem. The design features the Southern Cross constellation to signify that SPACEFOR-SOUTH is the space component focused on South America, and a lightning bolt symbolizing the speed and responsiveness of space-enabled support to joint and partner forces throughout the region.
In the Western Hemisphere, space-enabled capabilities support operations across vast distances and complex environments. Guardians provide positioning, navigation, and timing; secure satellite communications; and space-enabled awareness supporting counter-illicit trafficking operations, multinational exercises, partner-nation capacity 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,” Col. 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 senior leaders including U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Evan L. Pettus, SOUTHCOM acting commander; U.S. Air Force Major General David Mineau, commander of Air Forces Southern; and Under Secretary 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, SPACEFOR-SOUTH 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 of SPACEFOR-SOUTH marks another significant step in formally establishing space as a warfighting domain critical to joint operations, reinforcing security and stability across the Western Hemisphere.
