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United States Marine Corps Forces Space Command

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United States Marine Corps Forces Space Command
Active1 October 2020 – present
Country United States
Branch United States Marine Corps
Part of U.S. Space Command
Garrison/HQPeterson Space Force Base, Colorado
Commanders
CommanderMaj Gen Joseph Matos

The U.S. Marine Corps Forces Space Command (abbreviated MARFORSPACE) is the Marine Corps service component of the United States Space Command. It is tasked with providing support to the Fleet Marine Force using space assets, including in communications, targeting, and navigation, to increase warfighter lethality.

History

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The command was activated on 1 October 2020. The commander of MARFORSPACE is dual-hatted as the commander of Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command, though the two organizations are separate commands with their own structure. Many members of MARFORSPACE were formerly part of Marine Corps Forces Strategic Command (MARFORSTRAT). The purpose of Marine Forces Space Command is to provide space operational support and capabilities to the Fleet Marine Force.[1][2] The first Marine personnel of MARFORSPACE received training from the 1st Space Brigade of the United States Army Space and Missile Defense Command.[3]

Although the Marine Corps does not operate any spacecraft, the Marines also use the capabilities of these systems, and previously relied on the Army's 1st Space Brigade for planning and coordinating space support capabilities during operations in Iraq. The Marine Corps had its own space operations officers that were part of Marine Corps Forces Strategic Command (MARFORSTRAT),[4] who became part of MARFORSPACE upon its creation.[1]

In October 2021, the headquarters of MARFORSPACE relocated from Offut Air Force Base in Nebraska to the Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado. The Marine Space Support Team also conducted its first deployments that year, in support of U.S. European Command and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. In 2022, a new MOS, 1706 – Maritime Space Officer, was created, with specialized training for the space domain.[5]

List of commanders

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No. Commander Term
Portrait Name Took office Left office Term length
1
Matthew Glavy
Major General
Matthew Glavy		1 October 20207 July 2021279 days
2
Ryan P. Heritage
Major General
Ryan P. Heritage		7 July 202122 March 20242 years, 259 days
3
Joseph Matos
Major General
Joseph Matos		22 March 2024Incumbent230 days

Notes

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  1. ^ a b Marine Corps commandant directs activation of space service component. USSPACECOM. Published 13 November 2020. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  2. ^ Athey, Philip (17 November 2020). Marine Corps Forces Space Command is here. Marine Corps Times. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  3. ^ Szoldra, Paul (13 July 2021). The Army is training the first batch of Space Marines. Task and Purpose. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  4. ^ Connolly, James; Horvath, Joseph; Teichert, Erika (5 August 2019). The Marine Space Support Team Concept. Marine Corps Association. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  5. ^ USSPACECOM Magazine 2023. USSPACECOM Public Affairs. Published 2023.
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