Chief of Space Operations

Chief of Space Operations
Space Staff identification badge
CSO flag
Incumbent General B. Chance Saltzman since 2 November 2022
United States Space Force Space Staff
Abbreviation	CSO
Member of	Joint Chiefs of Staff Space Staff
Reports to	Secretary of Defense Secretary of the Air Force
Residence	Space House, Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, Washington, D.C.[1]
Seat	The Pentagon, Arlington County, Virginia
Appointer	The President with Senate advice and consent
Term length	4 years Renewable one time, only during war or national emergency
Constituting instrument	10 U.S.C. § 9082
Formation	20 December 2019
First holder	John W. Raymond
Deputy	Vice Chief of Space Operations

The chief of space operations (CSO) is the service chief of the United States Space Force. The CSO is the principal military adviser to the secretary of the Air Force for Space Force operations and, as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a military adviser to the National Security Council, the secretary of defense, and the president. The CSO is a statutory office held by a Space Force general, who is typically the highest-ranking officer on active duty in the Space Force.^[a]

The CSO is an administrative position based in the Pentagon, and while they do not have operational command authority over Space Force forces, the chief of space operations does exercise supervision of Space Force units and organizations as the designee of the secretary of the Air Force.

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