Gen. Chance Saltzman, chief of space operations for the U.S. Space Force and a 2024 Wash100 awardee, has called on service leaders to implement a new model to build up readiness and help maximize the military branch’s combat effectiveness.
In a notice to Guardians published Friday, Saltzman wrote that the Space Force Generation model, also known as SPAFORGEN, “is based on the straightforward observation that day-to-day space operations do not prepare Guardians for the challenges they will face in a high-intensity combat environment.”
Under the SPAFORGEN model, Guardians assigned to combat squadrons and combat detachments rotate through three phases: prepare, ready and commit.
Guardians develop expertise in assigned roles under the prepare phase and take part in advanced training to prepare for high-intensity conflict as part of the ready phase.
“Guardians then rotate into the Commit Phase as part of a combat squadron or combat detachment. Once complete, they rotate back into the Prepare Phase and begin the process again,” Saltzman wrote.
According to Saltzman, the new readiness model alters how the Space Force prepares for operations and helps the service to develop the capacity to conduct the current mission while getting ready for the future fight.
“Under SPAFORGEN, both officers and enlisted in mission squadrons will continue to rotate in and out of operations while assigned to the unit, creating a more experienced, capable, and threat-focused crew force,” he added.