Air Force Enhances Space Operations Capability

Increase Personnel and Upgrade Deputy Commander Rank to Strengthen Space Operation Capability

The Space Operations Battalion, responsible for the overall space operations mission of the Air Force, will be expanded into the Space Operations Squadron on the 30th.

On the 28th, the Air Force announced that it will hold a ceremony to establish the Space Operations Squadron at Osan Air Base, presided over by Air Force Operations Commander Kim Hyung-soo. The Air Force explained that as space operations, such as reconnaissance satellite operations, become increasingly important, it is expanding the unit size to strengthen the military's space operations capabilities.

The unit commander’s rank will be elevated from lieutenant colonel to colonel, and the number of personnel will increase from about 50 to around 100. The Space Operations Squadron will operate future space weather forecasting and warning systems and microsatellite systems to be commissioned. Through this, it will obtain more accurate information on the origin of enemy provocations and assist in operations such as the kill chain and Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system.

The Space Operations Squadron will also participate in the U.S. Space Command’s subordinate "Civil-Military Joint Operations Cell." This organization combines military and civilian space surveillance systems to monitor enemy satellites and other space objects in real time and analyze anomalies. The analysis data is mutually shared among 15 participating countries.

Colonel Lee Hyun-woo, the inaugural commander of the Space Operations Squadron, stated, "The establishment of the Space Operations Squadron has laid the foundation to support multi-domain operations in space," and added, "Based on the space capabilities to be commissioned in the future, we will further strengthen our military’s operational capabilities in the space domain."