Lt. Gen. David Thompson, vice commander of the U.S. Space Force, said the service plans to establish a new command focused on acquisition programs in 2021, C4ISRNET reported Thursday.
“We anticipate standing that up in 2021, probably sooner rather than later. We’re working on those final details,” Thompson said Thursday of Space Systems Command (SSC) during a Defense One event.
The service announced in June 2020 that it will be composed of three field commands and one of those is Space Systems Command. Space Systems Command will be responsible for the development, acquisition and sustainment of platforms for the Space Force and provide oversight for the Space Rapid Capabilities Office and Space and Missile Systems Center.
The Space Development Agency (SDA) is also set to transition to Space Systems Command by October 2022. Thompson said the new acquisitions command will serve as a unifying entity, address unnecessary duplication and promote competition in some areas.
“We’re not going to duplicate, but we’re certainly interested in the energy that comes from competing ideas and competing designs and competing approaches to a problem,” he added.
