Patrick Space Force Base – Space Force presence on the Space Coast has begun serving as the first change ceremony of the Command since one of its main units, Starcom, moved from Colorado to Florida.
Major General James Smith on Friday became Starcom’s third commander. This stands for Space Training and Readiness Command, one of the three command units under Space Force. He will take over for Major General Timothy Sayba, who oversaw the initial steps of Command as it began to take shape in Brevard County.
“How is it suitable for the Space Coast, Eastern Launch Range, now home to Starcom HQ, as if it were commanding, how is it suitable for its location,” Smith said while addressing Seziva at a ceremony at Patrick SFB. “You’ve created the foundation. You’ve made sure the command is fueled and ready to be a Guardian lift-off point. Like in the launch, we need to accelerate the command and move beyond the solid foundation of the path to a higher mission ready state.”
Smith accepted the iconic pennant, the ritual guide from General Chance Saltzman, the space military commander of space management.
“This command has been accelerated due to the evolution of technology across the space business. Coupled with the surge in conflicts around the world, our enemies continue to test our tempers with increasingly aggressive and sometimes irresponsible actions in orbit,” Saltzmann said.
The Space Force rose to its own military division in 2019, but is under the Air Force in the same way that Marines fall under the Navy Division. Currently, there are around 15,000 service members known as the Guardians.
Now, with fewer than 100 service members on the scene, one of the five deltas has begun to set up stores at Patrick SFB, as well as the Air Force wings. Space Delta 10: Doctrine and Wargaming is expected to grow to 150 staff over the next few years.
The two groups share space with Space Launch Delta 45. This operates both the Patrick SFB and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, but falls under Space Force Space Operations Order. Patrick SFB also features the Air Force Technology Application Center, which oversees nuclear treaties around the world, and the Air Force 920th Rescue Wing.
For Smith, his return to Patrick’s SFB is homecoming. He and his wife were stationed there between 2012 and 2014. He was the commander of the Air Force Squadron, where four children attended in elementary, middle and high schools in the area before moving to the Pentagon.
“We cross the area weekly for schools, churches and other activities, so we got to know Space Coast and Brevard County very well. This has been an incredible community to spend the last two years,” he said. “When we drove away 11 years ago, I didn’t think I had the privilege to come back.”
His personal life has changed dramatically, but he said that his professional changes are equally dramatic, including his recent grandfather.
“In 2014, could I imagine that I would wear a sharp and distinctive uniform here today under the title Guardian, taking what we call field commands in our brand new military service? I assure you that those ideas are nowhere in my mind. “The world was a different place than it was back then. We are facing enemies close to our peers and peers who have challenged us in new, complicated and sophisticated ways.”
He struck home the demands of the world under constant surveillance, the threat of electronic warfare, and the need for states to rely on “a space realm where threats to operations and missions are increasing exponentially.”
And he said his new command is being driven to ensure that all members of the Space Force train them to overturn the threat.
“That’s the heartbeat of Starcom’s mission. We exist to fake Space Forces guilty in combat that are ready to fight war,” he said. “We’re obsessed with our success. We can’t fail.”
Original issue: July 18th, 2025, 3:20pm EDT
