President Donald Trump yesterday nominated Air Force Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond to be the commander of the newly revived U.S. Space Command, a unified combatant command charged with space warfighting.
Currently the head of Air Force Space Command, Raymond became commissioned as an officer in 1984. He has since held various roles of increasing responsibility in the Air Force’s space entity.
The Space Command was originally established in 1985 as a standalone entity but merged with U.S. Strategic Command after space utilization became less of a priority following the 9/11 attacks.
The re-establishment of the Space Command will speed up space capabilities “to address the rapidly evolving threats to U.S. space systems, and the importance of deterring potential adversaries from putting critical U.S. space systems at risk,” the Air Force Space Command said in a release announcing Raymond’s nomination.
If confirmed by the Senate, Raymond will serve in a dual-hatted role, as chief of both the Space Command and the Air Force Space Command.